A private burial was held for , ending a tumultuous journey from St. Petersburg street thug to Kremlin-financed mercenary leader, following a suspicious plane crash two months after his brief mutiny that challenged the authority of President Vladimir Putin.
His spokespeople said Tuesday a service took place behind closed doors, and directed B次元官网网址渢hose who wish to bid their farewellB次元官网网址� to the 62-year-old head of the Wagner private military contractor to go to the Porokhovskoye cemetery in his hometown. Their statement ended media speculation on where and when Prigozhin would be laid to rest, with his funeral shrouded in secrecy.
A wooden cross towered over his flower-covered grave. Nearby stood a Russian tricolor and a black Wagner flag. Russian media cited unidentified sources as saying Prigozhin was laid to rest Tuesday without any publicity, per his familyB次元官网网址檚 wishes.
Members of the Russian National Guard were stationed along the fence at the cemetery, steering visitors away after it closed for the day.
PutinB次元官网网址檚 spokesman said the president would not attend the service. The Russian leader had decried the armed rebellion in June as B次元官网网址渢reasonB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渁 stab in the back.B次元官网网址�
The secrecy and confusion surrounding the funeral of Prigozhin and his top lieutenants reflected a dilemma faced by the Kremlin amid swirling speculation that the crash was likely a vendetta for his June 23-24 uprising.
While it tried to avoid any pomp-filled ceremony for him, the Kremlin couldnB次元官网网址檛 afford to denigrate Prigozhin, who reportedly received RussiaB次元官网网址檚 highest award for leading Wagner forces in Ukraine and was idolized by many of the countryB次元官网网址檚 hawks.
PutinB次元官网网址檚 comments on PrigozhinB次元官网网址檚 death reflected that careful stand. He noted last week that Wagner leaders B次元官网网址渕ade a significant contributionB次元官网网址� to the fighting in Ukraine and described Prigozhin as a B次元官网网址漷alented businessmanB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渁 man of difficult fateB次元官网网址� who had B次元官网网址渕ade serious mistakes in life.B次元官网网址�
Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, noted that Prigozhin has become a legendary figure for his supporters who are increasingly critical of the authorities.
B次元官网网址淧rigozhinB次元官网网址檚 funeral raises an issue of communication between the bureaucratic Russian government system that doesnB次元官网网址檛 have much political potential and politically active patriotic segment of the Russian public,B次元官网网址� Markov said.
The secretive service B次元官网网址渂ecame the final stage of a special operation to eliminate him,B次元官网网址� said Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.
B次元官网网址淓verything was as closed as possible, under full control of the security forces, with distracting maneuvers,B次元官网网址� she said in a commentary on her Telegram channel.
The countryB次元官网网址檚 top criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, on Sunday.
The committee didnB次元官网网址檛 say what might have caused PrigozhinB次元官网网址檚 business jet to plummet from the sky on Aug. 23, minutes after taking off from Moscow for St. Petersburg. Just before the crash, Prigozhin had reportedly returned from a trip to Africa, where he sought to expand Wagner GroupB次元官网网址檚 activities.
Also on Tuesday, a funeral was held at St. PetersburgB次元官网网址檚 Northern Cemetery for WagnerB次元官网网址檚 logistics chief Valery Chekalov, who was among the 10 people killed in the crash. PrigozhinB次元官网网址檚 second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, a retired military intelligence officer who gave the mercenary group its name based on his own nom de guerre, also was killed.
A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that caused the plane to crash, and Western officials have pointed to a long list of PutinB次元官网网址檚 foes who have been assassinated. The Kremlin rejected Western allegations the president was behind the crash as an B次元官网网址渁bsolute lie.B次元官网网址�
Although both were from St. Petersburg, Prigozhin and Putin were not known to be particularly close.
Prigozhin, an ex-convict who earned millions and his nickname B次元官网网址淧utinB次元官网网址檚 chefB次元官网网址� from lucrative government catering contracts, served Kremlin political interests and helped expand RussiaB次元官网网址檚 clout by sending his mercenaries to Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic and other countries. Wagner, one of the most capable elements of MoscowB次元官网网址檚 forces, played a key role in Ukraine where it captured the Ukrainian eastern stronghold of Bakhmut in late May.
The crash came exactly two months after the brutal and profane mercenary boss against the Russian military leadership. Prigozhin ordered his mercenaries to take over the military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and then began a march on Moscow. They downed several military aircraft, killing more than a dozen pilots.
Putin had vowed to punish the participants but hours later that saw Prigozhin ending the mutiny in exchange for amnesty and permission for him and his troops to move to Belarus.
The fate of Wagner, which until recently played a prominent role in RussiaB次元官网网址檚 military campaign in Ukraine and was involved in a number of African and Middle Eastern countries, is uncertain.
Putin said Wagner fighters could sign a contract with the Russian military, move to Belarus or retire from service. Several thousand went to Belarus, where they are in a camp southeast of the capital, Minsk.
READ ALSO:
