Vladimir Putin offered his condolences after the crash in Russia of the plane of Yevgeni Prigojine, boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, speaking to the past of this ex-ally with a “complicated” destiny, at work in Africa and Ukraine but who had turned his men against Moscow in June.
“He was a man with a complicated destiny, who made serious mistakes in his life, but who was getting the results he needed,” Putin said during a televised meeting, presenting his “sincere condolences to the loved ones of the victims.
None of the passengers on the private jet survived, but authorities have yet to formally announce Mr Prigojine’s death as the bodies have not been identified.
The reaction of the Kremlin was eagerly awaited as the presumed death of Yevgeny Prigojine, described by Mr. Putin as a “traitor” in June, aroused suspicion, two months to the day after his abortive coup.
Referring to the investigation into the causes of the crash, the circumstances of which are the subject of all speculation, in particular on a bomb attack or the firing of a missile, the Russian president promised to “conduct it in its entirety and to come to a conclusion”.
For Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, “his death is a great loss for the entire state”.
Lately, “he did not have or did not want to have an overview of what is happening in the country,” said Mr. Kadyrov, unfailing support of Mr. Putin.
“I asked him to give up his personal ambitions in favor of matters of paramount national importance (…) But he was like that (…) with his iron character and his desire to achieve his goal here and now.”
Wagner, who left Ukraine after his rebellion, remains active in Africa but his future is now up in the air. Wherever it has been deployed, the group is accused of abuses, extrajudicial executions and torture.
Russian air transport agency Rossaviatsia has confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board the Embraer Legacy private jet on a flight from Moscow to Saint Petersburg which crashed early Wednesday evening near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region.
Of the seven passengers and three crew, none survived.
The bodies have not been identified and the investigators, who launched an investigation for “violation of aviation safety rules” without favoring any leads, remained silent on Thursday.
Also among the alleged victims are Prigojine’s right-hand man, Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian military intelligence officer and Wagner’s operational commander.
In the village of Koujenkino, near which the plane crashed, a resident, Vitali, said he heard an explosion in the air. “I looked up and saw a plane, with white smoke above,” he said in a video broadcast by the Fontanka media.
Footage from Russian rescuers showed smoldering remains in a clearing.
On social networks, accounts close to Wagner evoked on Wednesday an attack against the boss of the group, advancing the hypothesis of a surface-to-air missile fire, the other possibility being that of an explosion on board.
The Pentagon in turn provided its analysis on Thursday, seeing “no information indicating that a surface-to-air missile” had been launched against the plane and calling the information to this effect “inaccurate”.
During the day, residents of St. Petersburg, where the group was based, marched to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial, a sign of the warlord’s popularity with some, who appreciated his nationalism and outspoken criticism of the regime. Russian elites, the military hierarchy and sometimes the Kremlin.
“For us, he was a friend, a brother. I think for all the soldiers it’s a very important moment,” said Natalia, 31, who came by bicycle to leave her bouquet in the shade of the glass building. where Wagner established his HQ in the former Russian imperial capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that kyiv had “nothing to do” with the crash, also implying that the Kremlin was responsible.
Recalling that the Wagner Group had helped bring death to Ukraine, he later added, “There is a court in The Hague, there is God’s justice. But Russia has an alternative (justice) – the President Poutine”.
His American counterpart Joe Biden for his part felt that “little thing happens in Russia without Putin having something to do with it”.
Many critics of the Russian regime have been killed or targeted by assassination attempts. The Kremlin has always denied its involvement.
“If this disappearance were proven, it would be a major element”, especially in Africa, underlined the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Yevgeny Prigojine had led a rebellion on June 23-24 against the Russian general staff and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, marching on Moscow, taking a military headquarters and shooting down Russian army planes.
He had given up his mutiny after an agreement which provided for his exile with his men in Belarus and the abandonment of the charges.
25/08/2023 02:12:58 – Koujenkino (Russia) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP