Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tribute to his former comrade and Wagner organization leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash on Wednesday.
Putin disclosed in a public address that he has known Prigozhin since the 1990s. Prigozhin “made serious mistakes in life,” the Russian Leader said, likely referring to his failed insurrection.
Putin said, “This was a person with a complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in life but also sought to achieve the necessary results – both for himself and at a time when I asked him to, for the common cause, such as in these recent months”.
Acknowledging the role played by the dead Wagner soldiers in the Ukrainian war, he said, “I would like to note that these are people who have made a significant contribution to our common cause of fighting the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine
“We remember and know it, and we will not forget it,” he continued
All 10 people aboard the plane including three crew and seven passengers reportedly died in the crash.
According to the Russian leader, preliminary investigation has been launched into the incidents.
“But what is absolutely clear – the head of the Investigative Committee reported to me this morning, they have already launched a preliminary investigation into this incident. And it will be carried out in full and to the end. There is no doubt about that here. Let’s see what the investigators say in the near future. Tests — technical and genetic tests — are being carried out now. This takes some time,” he said.
In June, Yevgeny Prigozhin led the mutiny by withdrawing his soldiers from Ukraine, seizing the southern Russian city of Rostov on Don, and threatening to march on Moscow.
