MOSCOW: In his first remarks on Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in a plane crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called him a “talented businessman” who made “some mistakes,” Al Jazeera reported.
The Russian President also expressed “sincere condolences” to the families of those who died.
He added in televised comments that it was necessary to await the outcome of the official investigation into the crash, in which all 10 people on board were killed.
The Russian president said the inquiry would take some time.
He further said that Prigozhin was a talented man who made “mistakes” and the Wagner crash victims made a “significant contribution” in Ukraine.
Putin added that the Wagner chied was “a man of difficult fate”, as per CNN.
Meanwhile, the Russian aviation agency confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, was on board a plane that crashed without a survivor northwest of Moscow, TASS reported.
The plane crash occurred months after Prigozhin staged a mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.
An investigation has been launched into the crash of the Embraer plane in the Tver Region on Wednesday, Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport said noting that Prigozhin was among the passengers, according to TASS.
The Embraer business jet, carrying the Wagner mercenary group chief, crashed in the Tver Region near the settlement of Kuzhenkino.
According to preliminary data, all 10 people on board the plane have died. The plane was en route from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport to St Petersburg, TASS reported.
Prigozhin was a former close aide of Russian President Vladimir Putin until he initiated a rebellion in June 2023. Prigozhin controlled a network of companies including the Wagner private military group. On 23 June 2023, the Wagner Group led by him launched a mutiny against the Russian military leadership. Negotiations led to the rebellion being called off. Prigozhin relocated to Belarus and charges against him were dropped. (ANI)