'Made Serious Mistakes In His Life, But...': Putin Offers Condolences Over Wagner Chief's Death

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered "condolences" over a plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. He said an investigation had been launched into the incident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday offered "condolences" over a plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, remembering him as a man who made mistakes but "achieved results." The statement comes as a probe has been launched to find out the cause behind the Wednesday crash that took place exactly two months after Wagner's short-lived rebellion against Russian military leadership. "First of all I want to express words of sincere condolences to the families of all the victims," Putin said in a televised meeting, as quoted by news agency AFP.

Calling the crash a "tragedy", the Russian President said, "I knew Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 90s. He was a man of complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in his life, but he achieved the right results."

He informed that an investigation had been launched into the plane crash, and that "it will take some time."

"It will be conducted in full and brought to a conclusion. There is no doubt about that," he emphasised, in footage that showed a meeting with the Russian-installed head of the Donetsk region Denis Pushilin, as per AFP.

The circumstances of the crash, which caused the deaths of some of Prigozhin's close entourage, have led to furious speculation about the incident being a possible assassination.

On Wednesday, a private jet on which Prigozhin was recorded as a passenger crashed between Moscow and Saint Petersburg prompting the reports of his presumed death.

Notably, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier in the day denied his country having any role in the presumed death of the Wagner chief while hinting at the Kremlin’s responsibility. He said Ukraine had “nothing to do” with the crash while remarking that people know “who this concerns”.

"We have nothing to do with this situation, that's for sure. I think everyone knows who this concerns," he told reporters in Kyiv, as quoted by news agency AFP.

“You know, when Ukraine spoke and appealed to the countries of the world about planes, we didn’t mean this. We meant something completely different and we wanted support, although, probably, it will also help in some sense of the word," the president added, as per Russian news agency Interfax.

The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (UNIAN) reported Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, as claiming that it was a managed aviation crash.

“Putin never forgives his own fear,” he stated, as quoted by UNIAN.

“Furthermore, he does not forgive a massive public humiliation, compounded by the personal betrayal of yesterday’s favorite. And Putin, I remind you, was extremely frightened in June 2023 when Prigozhin organized a march on Moscow. Frightened in all senses - he realized that there was no power vertical and no control,” Zelenskyy’s aide added.

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