Russian President Putin Suggests Plane Crash That Killed Wagner Leader was Caused by Grenades
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a shocking revelation on Thursday, suggesting that the plane crash which killed the head of the Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was caused by the detonation of hand grenades inside the aircraft. This statement contradicts previous rumors that the plane was shot down by a missile.
During a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin stated that traces of explosives were discovered in the bodies of those who died in the crash in August. He further revealed that fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of the victims, confirming that there was no external impact on the plane.
The private Embraer jet, on which Prigozhin was traveling to St Petersburg, crashed north of Moscow on August 23, killing all 10 people on board, including two other top Wagner figures, Prigozhin’s bodyguards, and the crew. Putin did not provide further details on how the grenades could have been detonated on board the executive jet.
Putin also criticized investigators for not conducting alcohol and drug tests on the bodies of the crash victims. He argued that such examinations should have been carried out to determine if they had any influence on the crash.
In addition to the shocking grenade revelation, Putin claimed that searches of Wagner’s offices in St Petersburg after the crash yielded 10 billion roubles ($100m) in cash and 5kg (11 pounds) of cocaine. However, the investigators of the crash have not yet released their findings, and Moscow rejected an offer from Brazil, where the Embraer business jet was built, to participate in the crash inquiry.
Prigozhin’s death comes exactly two months after leading a mutiny against Russia’s defense establishment, presenting the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule in several years. A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that an intentional explosion caused the crash, which has led Western officials to point to a long list of Putin’s opponents who have been assassinated. However, the Kremlin has vehemently denied claims that Putin was involved in Prigozhin’s death.
The fate of the Wagner group has been uncertain since Prigozhin’s demise. Putin has since ordered Wagner fighters to sign contracts with Russia’s defense ministry, a decision that was opposed by Prigozhin and many others within the group. When asked about the future of private military companies in Russia, Putin noted the lack of consensus regarding such formations and stated that several thousand fighters from Wagner have already signed contracts with the armed forces.
Before his death, Prigozhin accused Russia’s military leaders, particularly Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and warned that Russia could lose the war in Ukraine unless it raised its game. Despite their differences, Putin described Prigozhin as a man who had made “serious mistakes in his life but achieved the right results.”
The Wagner Group, created by Prigozhin, has been involved in conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and several African countries, and at its peak, it had tens of thousands of fighters. The group has been sanctioned by the European Union and the United States for gross human rights abuses in the countries where they deployed, and it played a significant role in the fighting in Ukraine, particularly in the capture of the eastern city of Bakhmut.