Russian Investigator Confirms Prigozhin Died In Plane Accident

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Yevgeny Prigozhin. (Wikimedia Commons/Government of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - A Russian investigative team on Sunday said a genetic test showed that Wagner's army group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, entered among 10 people killed in a plane crash on Wednesday night (23/8).

The Russian aviation agency has previously released the names of 10 people on a private jet that crashed on the Tver region in northwestern Moscow. They include Prigozhin and Dmitry Embezzled, who are Prigozhin's right-handers who helped establish the Wagner group.

"As part of an aircraft crash investigation in the Tver region, a molecular genetic examination has been completed," the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

"Based on the results of the examination, the identities of the 10 people who died in the plane crash have been identified, according to the list listed on the flight passenger list," the statement said.

Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash that crashed about two months after the Wagner boss led the uprising against top Russian military officials by inviting his troops to storm the Moscow capital.

However, Prigozhin decided to withdraw his troops in order to avoid bloodshed in Russia.

President Vladimir Putin called the uprising a dangerous "backlash".

Putin has expressed his condolences on Thursday to the family who died in the accident.