The Russian Government has identified deliberate wrongdoing as one of the possible causes of the plane crash that killed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin last week.
During his daily conference call with newsmen on Wednesday, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that “different versions” of what happened exist and “are being considered” by Russian investigators, including, “let’s put this way, deliberate wrongdoing,” AP News reports.
SaharaReporters reported how Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in Russia, along with nine other people on board last Wednesday.
Seven passengers and three crew were on board the Embraer aircraft, which was en route from Moscow to St Petersburg.
In response to the tragedy a week later, Peskov stated there could be no international probe into why the jet crashed.
He asked the media to wait for the Russian Investigative Committee to conclude its investigation.
Last Monday, the committee said it had begun a criminal investigation into probable flight safety violations, which is the usual process in Russia when there is no obvious reason to suspect foul play.
The disaster happened precisely two months after Prigozhin staged a brief armed uprising against Russia's military leadership, posing the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin's power in his 23-year reign. The Russian government has denied any role in the tragedy.
Prigozhin, 62, was buried in his birthplace of St. Petersburg in a private ceremony that remained secret until Tuesday evening when his spokesperson announced the site of his tomb.
Western authorities and analysts anticipate that the private Wagner army will continue to operate, notably in Africa's Sahel area, where Russian mercenaries have supplied protection against extremist groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
“I am sure they’ll find a replacement” for Prigozhin, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday after chairing talks among EU defence ministers.
“Wagner will continue to operate in the service of Putin in Africa, doing what they do, which is not contributing to peace in the Sahel or the defence of the rights of Saharan Africans,” Borrell said.