Wagner boss confirmed dead by Russian officials

A Russian investigation concluded on Sunday that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the longtime leader of the Wagner Group, was killed in the aircraft crash last week that killed all those on board.

In a statement Sunday, Russian officials said they have determined that the DNA results examined from the remains of those who died in the crash matched the list of people who were purported to be on the flight.

Prigozhin, who led a short-lived rebellion against Russian military leaders this summer, had been listed among the 10 passengers on the flight list.

The statement Sunday appears to be Russia’s first confirmation of Prigozhin’s death. While his name was listed on the manifest, it was not confirmed that he was aboard the private jet when it crashed this past Wednesday. 

The statement Sunday confirms the deaths of all those on the flight manifest, including Prigozhin’s right-hand man, Dmitry Utkin, and Prigozhin’s chief of security, Valery Chekalov.

In remarks Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not confirm the death of Prigozhin, but said he “had a difficult fate.” 

“He made serious mistakes in his life,” Putin said, while acknowledging that Prigozhin had assisted Russia in its goals against Ukraine. 

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U.S. believes Prigozhin died but would not comment on whether he thought Prigozhin had been intentionally killed.

“Our initial assessment, based on a variety of factors, is that he was likely killed,” Ryder said.

Prigozhin led a rebellion earlier this summer, marching on Moscow with thousands of troops before halting the advance. He had criticized top Kremlin officials in social media posts and made bold claims scrutinizing the Kremlin’s purported reasoning for the war in Ukraine. 

Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus, in exchange for Putin dropping terrorism charges against the mercenary chief, but Russia has since worked to dismantle the Wagner Group.