Russian president Vladimir Putin praised mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin as a talented businessman on Thursday and said he wished to express sincere condolences to the families of those who died in a plane crash a day earlier.
Putin added in televised comments that it was necessary to await the outcome of the official investigation into the crash, in which all 10 people on board were killed, saying the examination would take some time.
Russia’s civil aviation agency said that Prigozhin and six top lieutenants were on a business jet that crashed on Wednesday, soon after taking off from Moscow, with a crew of three.
Rescuers quickly found all 10 bodies, and Russian media cited sources in Prigozhin’s Wagner company who confirmed his death.
US and other Western officials long expected Putin to go after Prigozhin, despite promising to drop charges in a deal that ended the June 23-24 mutiny.
