Putin Skips Wagner Boss Prigozhin's Funeral: ‘Family Matter'
Vladimir Putin Opts Out of Attending Wagner Leader Prigozhin's Funeral, Citing ‘Family Matters' Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has made it known that he won't be present at the funeral of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the prominent figure behind the Wagner mercenary group
According to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, there are no plans for Putin's attendance, and it appears that the Kremlin was unaware of the funeral arrangements. Peskov further clarified that this matter falls within the realm of Prigozhin's family decisions.
Tragedy struck when Yevgeny Prigozhin lost his life in a plane crash last week. Just two months before this incident, he was involved in a foiled mutiny against Russian military commanders. During this mutiny, the Wagner mercenaries, under his leadership, temporarily took control of Rostov, a city in the southern part of the country.
Their audacious move even saw them advance towards Moscow, only to retreat when they were about 200 km (125 miles) away from the capital. In response, the Russian President condemned the rebellion, labeling it as an act of “treason.” However, Prigozhin managed to evade any punitive actions from the Kremlin, thanks to a deal that was negotiated to bring an end to the mutiny.
In the aftermath of the crash that claimed Yevgeny Prigozhin's life, Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the grieving family, thereby ending his silence on the matter.
Interestingly, a former British intelligence officer recently revealed that he had received information about a contract being placed on Yevgeny Prigozhin's life before the tragic incident. Christopher Steele, the former intelligence officer, shared with Sky News that a source had informed him weeks earlier about this contract originating from influential members of the Russian business community.
Steele speculated, “It seems increasingly likely that this incident might be a retaliatory act carried out by someone from the upper echelons of society, potentially a very senior individual.”
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