THE MYSTERY of Wagner boss Prigozhin’s plane crash has deepened – after Putin said grenade fragments were found in passengers’ bodies.
Putin said hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of the victims of a plane crash in August that killed former Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
APPrigozhin was killed in a plane crash[/caption]
AFPPutin is widely thought to have ordered his killing[/caption]
APVladimir Putin said grenade fragments have been found[/caption]
The Russian president added that there was no evidence of an “external impact” on the plane.
A former ally of Putin, Prigozhin had attempted and failed to overthrow the Kremlin with a violent uprising in June.
Just two months later the jet he was travelling on was blown out of the sky in a fiery crash.
All ten onboard were killed, and the Wagner group quickly came out to declare their suspicions that despot Putin was behind his ‘assassination’.
Others claimed that his body double was on the plane, not him, and Prigozhin, 62, had quietly escaped abroad.
But the presence of his mother and son Pavel Prigozhin at the traditional Russian graveside ceremony may indicate that they accept he was killed on the plane.
Ceremonies were held in Moscow and dozens of other cities to mark the 40th day since his death.
They were attended by thousands of Russians, but ignored by state TV.
A eulogy to Prigozhin on a Wagner Telegram channel said: “He can be criticised for certain events, but he was a patriot who defended the motherland’s interests on different continents…
“He was charismatic and importantly he was close to the fighters and to the people. And that’s why he became popular both in Russia and abroad.”
The terms of Prigozhin’s will suggests his son Pavel will have to provide for the family now, including the Wagner chief’s mother, Violetta.
If Pavel dies, the huge fortune is set to be divided amongst Prigozhin’s widow Lyubov, Pavel’s two sisters and the Wagner boss’ grandchild.
Reports suggest the grandchild is Pavel’s son, according to The Times.
Prigozhin was buried next to his biological father Viktor in his hometown after a small funeral that a paranoid Putin refused to attend.
Reports said only his close family and friends were allowed to go, amounting to around 30 people gathering to say goodbye to the failed coup leader.
The Kremlin was seemingly desperate to avoid a mass gathering over fears that Wagner’s mercenaries and their legion of fans might seize an opportunity to make trouble.
It comes as Putin’s war dog Ramzan Kadyrov who – like Prigozhin – supplied troops to his war against Ukraine, miraculously seemed to recover from his serious illness.
Just weeks ago ago he was reported to be in critical condition in a coma after suffering from a “mystery illness”.
There were even claims on Telegram channels that he had died.
Kadyrov was reported to have blamed his illness – believed to be an acute kidney ailment – on poisoning.
Then a bizarre video showed the two leaders meeting in Moscow, although many have speculated that it was actually filmed over a month ago.
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