Putin breaks silence over Prigozhin’s reported death

Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken his silence over the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. 

Prigozhin reportedly died, along with 9 other passengers, in a plane crash in Russia. 

Putin described Prigozhin as a “talented person” who “made serious mistakes in life.” 

The Russian president sent condolences to the families of all 10 people on board the private plane which went down northwest of Moscow on Wednesday evening. 

He did however stop short of explicitly confirming Prigozhin’s death.

Since the plane crashed there has been rampant speculation about what caused the crash and whether the Wagner boss was even on board. 

The US has said they believe Prigozhin was killed in the crash, and locals near the crash site claim they heard a loud bang before seeing a plane fall out of the sky. 

It’s believed that a bomb was likely smuggled on board. An investigation has been opened 

The Wagner boss was once a Putin loyalist but after leading a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June, many expected he’d be put on a Putin “kill list.”