Putin speaks out about plane crash suspected of carrying Wagner boss

President Putin expressed condolences to the families of the Wagner members killed in the plane crash, praising Prigozhin as a talented businessman.

"Regarding the plane crash tragedy, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families of all the victims," ​​Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address today, referring to the plane crash in the western Russian province of Tver on August 23. "Initial information suggests that on board the plane were members of the Wagner group, who contributed to our fight in Ukraine. We know this and will always remember it."

This is the first time Mr. Putin has spoken out after an Embraer Legacy 600 carrying 10 people crashed in Tver province while traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg, killing all on board.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow on June 24. Photo: AFP

Russia's Federal Aviation Administration said Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the private military corporation Wagner, was on the passenger list, but did not confirm whether the Wagner boss was killed.

"I have known Prigozhin for a long time, since the early 1990s. His fate has been full of ups and downs and he has made serious mistakes. But he has worked hard to achieve results for himself. Prigozhin is a talented person and a talented businessman," Putin said, but did not elaborate on Prigozhin's fate after the incident.

Mr Putin said Prigozhin had worked in Russia and Africa in the oil and gas, precious metals and gemstones sectors. According to the Russian President, Mr Wagner had just returned from Africa on August 23 and met with a number of Russian officials.

He added that an official investigation into the incident would take time, but would have to wait for investigators' conclusions about what happened.

Boss Wagner speaks in the village of Paraskoviivka, Ukraine on March 3. Photo: Reuters

Previously, leaders and officials from several Western countries also spoke out about the crash of the plane believed to be carrying Wagner. US President Joe Biden said he "didn't have enough information about what happened, but wasn't surprised by the incident."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said information about Prigozhin in the plane crash was "unclear", while a French government spokesman issued a statement saying there were "reasonable doubts" about the cause of the plane crash.

The British government said it was monitoring the incident and stressed that "rushing to conclusions" should be avoided, while the Lithuanian President said the incident involving the head of Wagner would not significantly change the regional security situation.

Western media also reported conflicting information about the incident. Reuters on August 24 quoted two unnamed US officials as saying that Washington believed an anti-aircraft missile launched from inside Russian territory likely shot down the plane. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal, citing exclusive information from unnamed US government officials, said that an onboard bomb or some form of sabotage caused the plane to crash, not an anti-aircraft missile.

Prigozhin, 62, spent nine years in prison for petty theft in the 1980s. After his release, he reformed and opened a sausage shop in St. Petersburg. Prigozhin opened a sausage counter in a supermarket chain and eventually founded a restaurant and catering company called Concord, which signed contracts with Russian government agencies.

He founded the private military company Wagner in 2014 and has become increasingly influential in Russian politics. Wagner has since expanded its operations to Africa and played a key role in the capture of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

However, the conflict between Prigozhin and the leaders of the Russian Ministry of Defense grew due to disputes over the supply of ammunition for the Bakhmut offensive. On June 24, Wagner led his troops into Russian territory, demanding the handover of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to "demand justice".

President Putin called Wagner's rebellion an act of treason and vowed to severely punish those involved. However, Prigozhin was later granted immunity under an agreement to end the rebellion and move his operations to Belarus.

Wagner later became less visible to the media, although he returned to Russia and appeared at the Russia-Africa summit in late July. Observers said the failed rebellion was the end of Prigozhin's political ambitions in Russia.

Huyen Le (According to Reuters )

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