'Hand grenade fragments found on bodies': Putin dismisses missile-attack theory in wagner chief's death

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made a startling revelation, stating that traces of explosives were found in the remains of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group, and his crew following their fatal plane crash between Moscow and Saint Petersburg in August.

This discovery strongly suggests that explosives were detonated inside the aircraft during their journey.

According to various reports, the Russian President firmly ruled out the possibility of a missile strike and emphasized that the plane had been destroyed from within. During his address to the Valdai Discussion Club, he revealed, "Fragments of hand grenades were found on the bodies of the victims of the air disaster. There was no external impact on the plane — this is already an established fact."

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Putin criticized investigators for failing to conduct alcohol and drug tests on Prigozhin and the other crash victims. He also mentioned that five kilograms of cocaine were discovered in Wagner's offices after the brief mutiny against the Russian military.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the Wagner group since Prigozhin's demise, Putin announced that several thousand Wagner fighters had already signed contracts with the Russian armed forces. The private military company landscape in Russia remains complex, marked by a lack of consensus and ongoing changes.

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• Alcohol test
• Drug test
• Prigozhin
• Russia
• Russian President
• Russian military
• Vladimir Putin
• Wagner
• Wagner chief
• Yevgeny Prigozhin