Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private military group, has been buried in a private funeral held in St Petersburg, as confirmed by his press service.
The ceremony took place in a “closed format” in his home city, and individuals wanting to bid farewell were invited to visit the Porokhovskoye cemetery.
Prigozhin’s death was confirmed by Russian officials after genetic analysis of 10 bodies recovered from a plane crash on August 23 near Moscow.
All 10 individuals on board, including Prigozhin’s close associate Dmitry Utkin, lost their lives in the crash in the Tver region.
The Wagner press service announced Prigozhin’s funeral in a concise statement on the messaging platform Telegram.
The details provided were minimal, and Russia’s MSK1 website reported that the funeral took place around 16:00 local time on Tuesday, with Prigozhin being buried beside his father’s grave. The site also noted the presence of the Wagner group’s black-yellow-red flag.
Also Read: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin: From Putin’s Chef to Rebel in Chief
Prigozhin had gained attention for his leadership of the Wagner private military group and was associated with various controversial activities. He had led an attempted armed mutiny in June, which ended around 200km from Moscow after his mercenaries captured the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
While the Kremlin has denied involvement in the plane crash, speculation regarding foul play has been intense. Despite rumors, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that Putin would not attend Prigozhin’s funeral. Prigozhin’s death occurred after his group’s involvement in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine initiated by Putin in February 2022.
The circumstances surrounding the plane crash have led to debates about its cause. US officials have suggested that an explosion onboard the private jet was the likely reason, although Russian authorities dismiss claims of foul play as an “absolute lie.”
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