Plane of Wagner chief was not subjected to external impact: Putin

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Oct 2023 14:41

Russian President Vladimir Putin reveals new information regarding the plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

A portrait of the owner of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin decorates an informal street memorial near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP)

The plane carrying Former Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was not subjected to any external impact before its crash, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who confirmed that "fragments of hand grenades" were also found embedded in the bodies of those that passed in the crash.

Putin, who spoke during a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club said "I know, there is probably a question that is begging to be asked about what happened to the company's leadership," adding "We know about the plane crash. The head of the Investigative Committee briefed me just the other day."

According to the Russian leader, "Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash," before highlighting that "There was no external impact on the plane, and this is a fact, the result of an examination that was conducted by the Russian Investigative Committee."

In a clear critique, the President underscored that "the investigation is ongoing, but, regrettably, no tests were carried out to determine whether alcohol or drugs were present in the blood of the deceased," explaining that "In my opinion, a test of this kind should have been carried out, but it wasn’t."

Regarding the drug test, Putin also said, "We all know that after the events that you are well aware of, the FSB [Federal Security Service] found five kilograms of cocaine in the company’s office in St. Petersburg, along with ten billion rubles."

Russian authorities identify all 10 victims in Tver Region plane crash

The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed, back in August, that the identities of all ten individuals who lost their lives in the plane crash in Russia's Tver Region have been determined and correspond to the names listed on the flight manifest.

"As part of the investigation into the airplane crash in the Tver Region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed. Based on their results, the identities of all ten victims have been established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight manifest," the Committee wrote on Telegram.

Russia's Investigative Committee said, at the time, that ten bodies had been found at the site of the fatal crash of the plane that carried Wagner PMC chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

On August 24, Putin said during a meeting with Donetsk People's Republic chief Denis Pushilin that Wagner contributed significantly to the fight against Nazism in Ukraine and that Russia "will not forget" the group's contributions.

Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that a private plane on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed in the Tver Region last Wednesday, announcing that the incident killed all ten people aboard.

In a statement, the Committee said, "During the initial investigative actions, ten dead bodies were found at the crash site. Molecular genetic examinations are being carried out to establish their identities," adding that flight recorders have been located.

It added that documents and items are crucial for tracing the causes of the crash.

"The investigation will carefully evaluate all possible versions of what happened," the statement read.

Concurrently, Russian sources reported that the body of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had been identified in a Russian morgue by a commander of the PMC group.

According to the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, a missing part of Prigozhin's finger on his left hand, an injury he suffered during his time at a penal colony decades ago, helped identify him.

As for Dmitry Utkin, a co-founder of Wagner, he was identified by his tattoos, according to the channel.