Russian mercenary boss quietly buried in hometown cemetery
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — A private burial was held for Yevgeny Prigozhin, ending a tumultuous journey from St. Petersburg street thug to Kremlinfinanced mercenary leader. Prigozhin died in 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 “those who wish to bid their farewell” 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 family’s wishes.
Members of the Russian National Guard were stationed at the cemetery, steering visitors away after it closed for the day.
Putin’s spokesman said the president would not attend the service. The Russian leader had decried the armed rebellion in June as “treason.”
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 2324 uprising.
Prigozhin reportedly received Russia’s highest award for leading Wagner forces in Ukraine.
Putin last week described Prigozhin as a “talented businessman” and “a man of difficult fate” who had “made serious mistakes in life.”
The country’s top criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, didn’t say what might have caused Prigozhin’s business jet to plummet from the sky Aug. 23, minutes after taking off from Moscow for St. Petersburg. U.S. intelligence concluded that an intentional explosion caused the plane to crash, and Western officials have pointed to a long list of Putin’s foes who have been assassinated. The Kremlin rejected Western allegations the president was behind the crash.
Also Tuesday, a funeral was held for Wagner’s logistics chief, Valery Chekalov, who was among the 10 people killed in the crash. Prigozhin’s second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, also was killed.