Russia

Wagner Says Prigozhin Has Been Buried in ‘Private’ Funeral

LAID TO REST

The surprise burial ends days of speculation over how Prigozhin would be laid to rest following his fallout with Russia President Vladimir Putin.

A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial in Moscow, Russia.
STRINGER/Reuters

Yevgeny Prigozhin has been buried at a “private” funeral ceremony in St. Petersburg, Russia, his press team revealed on Tuesday. The surprise burial ends days of speculation over how the Wagner Group chief, who died in a plane crash last week, would be laid to rest following his fallout with President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin had said that Putin wouldn’t be attending the funeral, but offered no other details about the burial until it was revealed by Prigozhin’s team on Tuesday. Russian law enforcement surrounded the Pokrovskoye Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon during the ceremony, according to The New York Times. They didn’t allow members of the public to enter. Prigozhin’s death was a sensitive one for the Russian government. The longtime Putin ally had a short-lived coup attempt against Moscow’s military leaders in June, effectively wrecking his relationship with the Russian president. He died alongside nine other passengers in last week’s plane crash, of which details remain unclear.

Read it at The New York Times

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.