Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the death of PMC Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in the crash of his Embraer jet in the Tver region. The head of state expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
The businessman's plane crashed on August 23. Among the passengers was Prigozhin himself, as well PMC Wagner's key commander Dmitry Utkin. It is believed that the plane crashed as a result of an explosion on board.
"As for this aviation accident, first of all I want to express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims. It is always a tragedy,” Putin said.
The head of state assured that the investigation into the plane crash near Tver would be completed.
"What is absolutely certain: the head of the Investigative Committee reported to me this morning — they have already launched the preliminary investigation into this incident. It will be carried out in full and brought to an end,” Putin said.
"I knew Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 1990s. He was a man of difficult fate. He would make serious mistakes and achieve the results that he needed — both for himself and, when I would ask him about it, for a common cause, as in these last months. He was a talented man, a talented businessman. He worked not only in our country, but also abroad — in Africa, in particular. He was dealing there with oil, gas, precious metals, stones.
"He returned from Africa only yesterday, as far as I know. He met with a number of officials here. The head of the Investigative Committee reported to me today that they have already launched a preliminary investigation into the accident, and it will be carried out in full and brought to an end. There is no doubt here. Let's see what investigators say in the near future."