“There was no external influence on the aircraft, a fact that has already been proven,” he also stated, citing investigators. This could not be independently verified. Investigators have not yet commented on the cause of the accident.
Many international observers suspect that the Kremlin had Putin’s longtime confidant Prigozhin killed on August 23 because he had already organized an uprising against Russian military leadership and also killed fighter pilots. The Kremlin denied involvement.
Known as “Putin’s chef,” Prigozhin fulfilled Putin’s wishes. His rise and death are therefore inextricably linked to the Kremlin chief.
August 24, 2023 | 01:43 minutes
Russia has rejected an international investigation into the crash of Prigozhin’s private plane in Russia’s Tver region, in which nine other passengers also died.
Unfortunately, Russian investigators did not test the bodies for alcohol or other drugs in the blood, Putin also said. The Kremlin chief said five kilograms of cocaine had already been seized in an operation in Prigozhin’s hometown of St. Petersburg.
Putin said that “several thousand fighters” have already signed such contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry. This also could not be verified. In line with Putin’s previous statements, Wagner mercenaries will again be deployed in new units in the war against Ukraine.