The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to attend the funeral of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Wagner mercenaries. Prigozhin tragically lost his life in a plane crash last week.
It was just two months ago when Prigozhin and his mercenaries staged a mutiny against Putin’s top military commanders, seizing control of Rostov and even making advances towards Moscow. However, their mission was abandoned, and they turned back just 200 km (125 miles) from the capital.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed reporters that the presence of the president is not anticipated at the funeral. When asked if Putin would attend, Peskov firmly stated, “The presence of the president is not envisaged.”
Peskov further explained that the Kremlin does not possess any specific information regarding the funeral arrangements and that it is entirely up to the family to decide.
On Sunday, investigators confirmed through genetic tests that Prigozhin was among the ten individuals who lost their lives in the crash.
The Kremlin vehemently denies the claims made by Western politicians and commentators suggesting that Putin ordered Prigozhin’s assassination as an act of revenge, dismissing such allegations as “absolute lies.”
Reuters/NAN
