Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed on Thursday, August 24, 2023, the “contribution” to the offensive in Ukraine of Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigojine, despite his “mistakes”, and promised to “carry out the investigation into the fatal crash of his plane.
“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 in a televised meeting, presenting his “sincere condolences” to the relatives of the crash victims.
“These are people who have made a significant contribution to our joint effort” in Ukraine, where Russia has been conducting a military offensive since February 2022, Mr. Putin continued.
Referring to the investigation into the causes of the crash launched by the Russian authorities, the president promised to “conduct it in its entirety and reach a conclusion”.
‘We will see what the investigators say in the near future. The expertise is ongoing, technical and genetic expertise. It will take some time,’ said Vladimir Putin.
The Russian authorities have so far not put forward any clues to explain the crash Wednesday evening of the private jet that transported according to the Russian civil aviation Mr. Prigojine, his right-hand Dmitry Outkine and other officials of Wagner.
The accident, which fuelled speculation about the assassination of the man who had become the Kremlin’s enemy after his aborted rebellion in June, killed the 10 occupants of the apparatus, according to the authorities.
Yevgeny Prigojine, whom Mr. Putin said he had “known since the early 1990s”, was described as a “traitor” by the Russian president during his aborted mutiny in June.
According to Mr. Putin, Wagner’s boss had “returned from Africa” on the day of the crash on Wednesday.
