Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin. Researchers said Sunday that genetic testing showed the victims of a plane crash last week matched all the names on the plane’s manifest.
Mr Prigozhin is believed to have been killed in the crash on Wednesday, an incident that occurred two months after he launched a failed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership that US and Western officials believe was the result of an explosion on-board. However, Russian authorities said they were awaiting the results of an investigation before confirming the identities of those on board.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Commission of Inquiry, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday that the identities of all ten dead had been established and that they matched those listed in the flight log.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, in his initial commentary on the crash on Thursday, spoke obliquely about Mr Prigozhin’s death and referred to him in the past tense, but did not confirm it. “He has made some serious mistakes in his life, but he has also achieved the necessary results,” Putin said.
