‘Talented man, made mistakes’: Putin on Wagner chief’s death

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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 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.

Villagers hear bang, see plane plummet

Residents of a village near the site of a plane crash which is believed to have killed Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said they had heard a bang, then saw the jet plummet to the ground. Part of the plane’s blue-and-white liveried tail and other fragments lay on the ground near a wooded area.

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. The incident was widely as an assassination to avenge a mutiny that challenged Putin.