- Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Private Burial
- Secrecy Surrounding the Funeral Arrangements
- Investigation into the Plane Crash and Conspiracy Theories
Other cemeteries in the Russian city had been mentioned in media reports as possible burial locations.
According to his press team, Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was laid to rest in a private “farewell ceremony” in a St. Petersburg cemetery.
On August 23, Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash north of Moscow, exactly two months after he led a failed mutiny against senior Russian officials.
The failed uprising, in which he demanded the removal of defense minister Sergei Shoigu, was the greatest challenge to President Putin’s authority since he ascended to power in 1999.
Images from the Porokhovskoye cemetery depicted Prigozhin’s dark granite tombstone surrounded by an assortment of flowers, predominantly red roses. It is believed that he was interred alongside his father.
The Wagner chief’s press service issued the following statement on Telegram. “The farewell to Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin took place in a private setting. Those wishing to bid farewell may visit the Porokhovskoye cemetery.”
Other cemeteries in the Russian city had been mentioned in the media as possible burial sites for Tuesday.
The funeral arrangements were shrouded in secrecy, and the Kremlin had previously stated that Vladimir Putin would not attend.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, refused to comment on the burial because it was a private family matter.
Russia’s investigative committee announced on Sunday that genetic testing verified Prigozhin died in the crash on Wednesday.
What caused his private plane to crash shortly after taking off from the capital for St. Petersburg was unknown.
Prigozhin’s right-hand man, Dmitry Utkin, and the director of logistics at Wagner Group, Valery Chekalov, were also killed. Along with four of his bodyguards and three crew members.
Chekalov’s family was joined by dozens of individuals at the Severnoye cemetery in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, some of whom were believed to be Wagner mercenaries and employees from Prigozhin’s business empire.
A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that a deliberate explosion caused the accident, and Western officials have cited a lengthy list of Mr. Putin’s opponents who have been murdered.
The Kremlin has rejected as an “absolute lie” the claim by unsubstantiated Western politicians and commentators that the Russian president ordered the assassination of Prigozhin in retaliation for the June mutiny.
In June, thousands of Prigozhin’s fighters reportedly advanced 120 miles from the capital before he stopped their advance.
Mr. Putin condemned the uprising as “treason” and pledged to punish those responsible.
He ended the insurrection with Prigozhin hours later for pardon and permission to move his men to Belarus.
