Russia’s Investigative Committee has confirmed the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, via formal genetic analysis.

This follows a plane crash that Prigozhin was involved in. The committee’s announcement also confirmed the death of the other passengers who were aboard the plane.

Yevgeny was reportedly killed when the Embraer aircraft carrying him and nine others crashed on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 evening near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver Region.

“According to their results, the identities of all 10 victims were established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight list,” the Russian Investigative Committee announced in a statement on Sunday, August 27, 2023.

“As part of the criminal investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed,” the statement read.

According to Russian Investigative Committee Spokeswoman, Svetlana Petrenko, the genetic testing on the 10 bodies recovered at the crash site “conform to the manifest ” for the flight.

Apart from Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, who helped to found the Wagner group and managed Wagner’s military operations, was also on the plane along with other Wagner members; Valery Chekalov, Sergei Propustin, Yevgeny Makaryan, Alexander Totmin and Nikolay Matuseyev.

Pilot Alexei Levshin and co-pilot Rustam Karimov, and there was one flight attendant, Kristina Raspopova were the other victims of the crash.

Russia’s statement on Sunday did not provide any details as to what may have caused the crash. Nonetheless, it was reported that black boxes from the plane crash site have been retrieved.

A lot of people suspect that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin played a role in Prigozhin’s death.

U.S President Joe Biden has already said that there is little that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind and former MI6 Boss, Sir John Sawers opined that it appeared that the Russian leader had ordered the strike.

“All the indications point to the fact that Putin has taken him out… he is making clear to everyone both inside Russia and outside that he’s not going to brook any challenge.” Sir John said.

“I would have thought there was some device on board that brought the plane down suddenly and killed all those on board. It was a way of taking out the entire Wagner leadership in one go.”
Sir John Sawers

The Kremlin has denied these claims. Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Friday, August 25, 2023, disclosed that suggestions that Prigozhin had been killed on the Kremlin’s orders and other “speculation”, were an “absolute lie.”

Ukraine Advances In Counteroffensive Near Robotyne

In other developments, the Ukrainian army disclosed that it is continuing to advance after breaking through the Russian defence line near Robotyne, a settlement in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

The next target for liberation is the nearby village of Novoprokopivka, military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said.

Also on Sunday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he “appreciates” the United States’ decision to sanction Russian entities that are reportedly part of deporting his country’s children from occupied areas, calling it an “important step.”

The U.S Department of State on Thursday, August 24, 2023, imposed sanctions on 13 people and entities it said are reportedly connected to the forced deportation and transfer of Ukraine’s children.

“We are working on similar sanctions by our partners. Deportation of children, a deliberate and systematic attempt to cut them off from their families, and an attempt to teach them to hate their country, constitute Russian genocidal policy that deserves equal condemnation by everyone in the world.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy