Russia Confirms Prigozhin's Death Based on 'Genetic Testing'

Russian officials said on Sunday that genetic tests have confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, was among the 10 people killed in last week's plane crash. According to Reuters, the Russian aviation authority had previously released the names of all 10 passengers of a private jet that crashed on Wednesday in the Tver region northwest of Moscow. Among them were Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, a figure known as Prigozhin's 'right-hand man' who helped establish the Wagner Group. The Russian Investigative Committee stated in a message on the Telegram app: 'As part of the investigation into the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed.' The statement said that based on the results of the genetic tests, 'the identity of all 10 deceased has been established, and their identities correspond to the list in the flight manifest.' Russian officials have not yet disclosed what caused Prigozhin's private jet to crash. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner mercenary group, was a former close associate of Vladimir Putin, helping him in the Ukraine war. A few weeks ago, after a disagreement between him and the Russian military, Prigozhin opposed Putin and even moved his forces to besiege Moscow. After two days, they reached an agreement, and Prigozhin went to Belarus. The Wagner Group has also employed mercenaries from various countries in regions of Africa and the Middle East. Analysis from several Western politicians and commentators suggests that Putin ordered Prigozhin's killing as punishment for his recent rebellion against him, which was the biggest challenge to Putin's rule since he came to power in 1999. Lukashenko: I told Prigozhin to be careful, he said: 'To hell, let me be killed.' Russia announced the discovery of 'flight data recording equipment from Prigozhin's plane.' Initial U.S. assessment of how Prigozhin was killed; Putin expressed condolences. Biden's reaction to the crash of the Wagner Group leader's plane: 'I was not surprised by his death.'