Putin Breaks Silence on Wagner Mercenary Leader’s Death as Questions Swirl

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first public comments after the death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 25, 2023. Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first public comments after the death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin after he was presumed to have died in a plane crash north of Moscow on Wednesday.

Russia’s civilian aviation agency said both Mr. Prigozhin and Wagner commander and co-founder Dmitry Utkin were listed as passengers on the jet. Eight other people died in the crash.