Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has broken his silence on the death of his one-time ally and Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash on Wednesday.
Paying tribute to him, Putin called the head of the mercenary group a talented person who made serious mistakes in life.
Putin said this while speaking in a meeting with the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin in the Kremlin.
Prighozin died alongside all the 10 people on board in the plane crash which took place northwest of Moscow, according to the Russian aviation agency.
The Wagner Group, which he headed, gained popularity for its victories in battle and brutal methods in the Ukrainian war.
“First of all, I want to express my sincere condolences to the families of all the victims, this is always a tragedy,
“He was a man of difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life, and he achieved the results needed both for himself and when I asked him about it – for a common cause, as in these last months.”
Prighozin had approved an internal revolt in Russia about two months before the crash took place, forcing Putin to make a public address where he called for a united country.
The revolt was regarded as the biggest challenge to Putin’s authority over his long rule.
In his address at the time, Putin had made it clear that he viewed the actions of the Wagner Group as a form of treason, accusing the “organizers of the rebellion” of betraying Russia.
