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Hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of victims of a plane crash that killed damaged-down Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin has talked about.
Mr Prigozhin changed into once reportedly amongst 10 of us killed in a plane crash north of Moscow on 23 August, two months to the day after he led a failed mutiny against top Russian officials.
The aborted rebel, during which he demanded the ousting of the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, changed into once the ideally suited challenge to President Putin’s rule since he rose to vitality in 1999.
But Mr Putin regarded to disregard Western assessments the plane had been shot down, claiming there changed into once “no exterior impression” and this “is already a longtime truth”.
“Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash,” he informed a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi.
He didn’t give any particulars around how a grenade may maybe explode in the plane – but he talked about investigators may maybe merely composed accept as true with tested the bodies for alcohol and medicine, given cocaine has been found at Wagner offices sooner than.
“In my opinion, such an examination may maybe merely composed had been implemented but it changed into once no longer,” he added.
Mr Putin talked about the FSB security service had found 10 billion roubles (£82.3m) in cash and 5kg of cocaine in searches of Wagner’s offices in St Petersburg.
Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks to a camera at an unknown design. Pic: Razgruzka_Vagnera telegram channel by the use of AP
The investigators accept as true with no longer publicly commented on the case, but Russia talked about it confirmed Mr Prigozhin’s dying in the crash following genetic exams – without revealing the predicament off.
He changed into once buried privately in a “farewell ceremony” in a St Petersburg cemetery in August, according to his press crew.
What occurred to the plane?
The deepest Embraer Legacy plane changed into once travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg when it crashed, with Russia reporting there were no survivors.
Russian inform-owned TASS information company talked about seven passengers and three crew were on board the Embraer plane and were all killed.
A Telegram channel affiliated with the Wagner Community talked about Mr Prigozhin changed into once killed in the plane crash. It known as him a hero and a patriot who had died at the palms of unidentified of us described as “traitors to Russia”.
The plane came down come the village of Kuzhenkino Tver.
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The deepest plane opinion to had been carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin changed into once travelling far from Moscow when it crashed.
Western analysts and commentators accept as true with largely urged President Putin may maybe even accept as true with ordered the killing of Mr Prigozhin, even though no evidence has been offered.
Mr Putin – who Mr Prigozhin changed into once once a shut confidant of – described him as a “traitor” after the failed mutiny.
He had develop into a vocal critic of Russia’s defence ministry and top generals in their handling of the invasion of Ukraine, in a roundabout intention leading a insurrection with a column curiously headed for Moscow.
The rebel ended when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stepped in to dealer a deal, with Mr Prigozhin agreeing to relocate to Belarus.
What’s the future for Wagner?
A man wearing a shirt with the worth of Wagner deepest mercenary neighborhood standing subsequent to Yevgeny Prigozhin’s grave
Sooner than his dying, Mr Prigozhin had solid Wagner as the sector’s most war-hardened fighting force.
However the neighborhood’s destiny has been unclear since his dying, with Mr Putin ordering its opponents to signal contracts with the defence ministry.
Mr Putin, when requested concerning the future of so-known as deepest navy firms in the nation, talked about there is now not any such thing as a consensus on whether these kinds of teams are wanted.
“But right this moment I will verbalize for obvious that several thousand opponents of this firm accept as true with already signed contracts with the armed forces,” he added.
“And if they accept as true with to, then they would maybe take share in the fighting. They salvage this on the premise of signed individual contracts, which changed into once no longer the case sooner than.”
He talked about it’s a “advanced job” and remained ambiguous concerning the future of such mercenary teams.