Russian investigators announced on Sunday that genetic tests have definitively identified Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group, as one of the 10 individuals who tragically lost their lives in a plane crash last week.
The names of all 10 people aboard the private jet, which crashed in the Tver region northwest of Moscow last Wednesday, had previously been published by Russia’s aviation agency. This list included Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin’s right-hand man and co-founder of the Wagner group.
In a statement released on the Telegram messaging app, Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed the completion of molecular-genetic examinations as part of the plane crash investigation. The statement read, “According to their results, the identities of all 10 deceased individuals have been established, matching the list provided on the flight sheet.”
Speculation had arisen, particularly on pro-Wagner Telegram channels, regarding Prigozhin’s presence on the ill-fated flight. This uncertainty had arisen in part due to Prigozhin’s known security precautions in anticipation of potential threats to his life.
Authorities, however, have not yet disclosed their findings regarding the cause of the private jet’s crash.
The crash occurred exactly two months after Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries initiated a mutiny against Russian military commanders, seizing control of the southern city of Rostov and advancing toward Moscow before reversing course approximately 200 kilometers from the capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin initially characterized the June 23-24 mutiny as a treacherous “stab in the back.” However, he later held a meeting with Prigozhin at the Kremlin and expressed condolences on Thursday to the families of those presumed to have perished in the plane crash.
In his tribute to Prigozhin on Thursday, Putin offered a nuanced perspective, acknowledging him as a “talented businessman” while also acknowledging his significant life mistakes and flaws.
