Putin: After plane crash, Prigozhin’s body was studded with grenade remnants

When speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that grenade remnants were lodged in the remains of Yevgeny Prigozhin and his associates, discovered at the site of the August 23 plane crash.

Putin emphasized there had been no external impact on Prigozhin’s executive jet prior to the crash. “It’s an established fact resulting from an expert probe conducted by the Federal Investigative Committee,” the president said, adding that the inquiry was still ongoing.

In addition, Putin pointed out that the presence of alcohol and drugs in the crash victims’ remains was yet to be verified, and that he thinks this important to find out. “We know that, following certain events, the FSB searched the company office and discovered not just $10 million in cash, but also five kilograms of cocaine,” Putin said, referring to the headquarters of Prigozhin’s mercenary outfit, PMC Wagner.

Noting that an unspoken question about Wagner Group’s future was “hanging in the air,” the Russian president said that its “private military company” designation was merely a shorthand invented by the media, while in reality Russia doesn’t have any mercenary companies, since there’s no regulation that would govern them.

Russian legislators have contradictory opinions on legalizing private military formations, Putin said, adding that several thousand former Wagner fighters have already opted to sign contracts with the regular army and the Defense Ministry.