Source: Putin sends condolences to family after Prigozhin ‘death’ in plane crash – Stocks Inside
Vladimir Putin says he has sent his condolences to the family of Yevgeny Prigozhin after the Wagner Group leader was presumed killed in a plane crash.
The Russian president said Prigozhin was a talented businessman who he had known since the 1990s.
This is the first time Mr Putin has commented on the plane crash, which happened north of Moscow yesterday and killed all 10 people on board.
If confirmed, Prigozhin’s death would leave Mr Putin stronger in the short term – removing a powerful figure who had played an instrumental role in the invasion of Ukraine, and criticised Russia’s top military officials.
The mercenary chief had led a brief rebellion in June – demanding the ousting of defence minister Sergei Shoigu as he marched his fighters towards Moscow before calling off their advance.
Prigozhin’s right-hand man Dmitry Utkin was also believed to be on board, alongside his security chief Valeriy Chekalov and three other lieutenants.
It is unclear why so many high-ranking members of Wagner, who are normally exceedingly careful about their security, were on the same flight.
In televised comments, Mr Putin said they had made “a significant contribution” during the Ukraine war that will not be forgotten.
The president described Prigozhin as “a person with a complicated background who made serious mistakes in his life” – but noted that he was also a successful entrepreneur.
弗拉基米尔·普京表示，在瓦格纳集团领导人叶夫根尼·普里戈任被认为在空难中丧生后，他已向叶夫根尼·普里戈任的家人表示哀悼。 俄罗斯总统表示，普里戈任是一位有才华的商人，他从 20 世纪 90 年代就认识了。 这是普京首次对昨天发生在莫斯科北部、机上10人全部遇难的飞机失事发表评论。
如果普里戈任之死得到证实，短期内将使普京变得更加强大 — — 除掉一位在入侵乌克兰过程中发挥重要作用并批评俄罗斯高级军事官员的有权势人物。 这位雇佣军首领在六月份领导了一场短暂的叛乱，要求国防部长谢尔盖·绍伊古下台，当时他正率领自己的战士前往莫斯科，然后又取消了进攻。 普里戈任的得力助手德米特里·乌特金据信也在机上，其他人还有他的安全主管瓦列里·切卡洛夫和其他三名副官。 目前尚不清楚为什么这么多平时对自身安全极为谨慎的瓦格纳高级成员乘坐同一航班。 普京在电视讲话中表示，他们在乌克兰战争期间做出了“重大贡献”，这一点不会被忘记。 总统将普里戈任描述为“一个背景复杂、一生中犯过严重错误的人”，但他同时指出，他也是一位成功的企业家。
