Russian President Putin condoles death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin

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New Delhi, August 24

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the families of those who died in the plane crash in the Tver region.

He referred to Yevgeny Prigozhin as a person with a complex fate but acknowledged his talent.

Putin stated that the “Wagner” group made a significant contribution to the fight against Nazism in Ukraine, and this will never be forgotten.

Putin shared that he had known Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 90s. While acknowledging Prigozhin’s mistakes, he highlighted that he achieved meaningful results both personally and for the greater cause.

The Russian aviation company Rosaviation had earlier published a list of the 10 passengers and crew members on board the plane, which included Prigozhin senior commander of the Wagner Private Military Company Dmitry Utkin and its logistics chief Valery Chekalov with the callsign “Rover.”

Before Putin’s condolence, a pall of gloom had already spread among those in the know.

“Everyone saw and heard the news yesterday, we were shocked no less than you, because somewhere we crossed paths with the guys and knew about Yevgeny Viktorovich. They waited for the situation to be clarified, hoped for the best and believed in a cunning plan. We express our condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. We are waiting for the official statement of the company. To be a warrior is to live forever,” wrote Archangel Spetsnaz on his Telegram channel.

“But we need to continue to work, the front has not stopped, the Airborne Forces continue to carry out tasks and destroy the enemy,” he added. The user reports extensively on the conflict in Ukraine and is considered close to Russian military circles.

The Brazilian Embraer Legacy 600 model executive jet had one accident in over 20 years of service, which was not due to mechanical failure. Embraer aerospace company said it had not provided maintenance for the aircraft since 2019 due to US-led sanctions imposed on Russia.

The plane showed no sign of problems until a precipitous drop in its final 30 seconds, according to flight-tracking data.

Local residents heard two bangs before the crash and saw two vapor trails, the Grey Zone Telegram channel posted.