Yevgeny Prigozhin’s final resting place: Wagner warlord is buried beside his father in grave surrounded by flowers in quiet ceremony – after Putin refused to attend the funeral
- Red, white and yellow flowers were seen adorning the grave of the dead warlord
- Prigozhin died in a plane crash last week just north of Moscow
- The Kremlin has denied its involvement in the Wagner chief’s death
The grave of the dead Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has been spotted for the first time, following a small private funeral held for him that Vladimir Putin refused to attend.
Red, white, and yellow flowers were seen laid on top of a wooden grave, which was heavily guarded by armed police and private security.
The pictures were snapped at a small private ceremony for Prigozhin, held at a cemetery on the outskirts of his hometown of St Petersburg on Tuesday.
‘The farewell took place in a closed format. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery,’ Prigozhin’s press service said in a short post on Telegram.
He was reportedly buried next to his father in the small cemetery on the outskirts of St Petersburg
Red, white, and yellow flowers were seen laid on top of a wooden grave in a cemetery on the outskirts of St Petersburg
A biblical message was left in a photo frame that leaned on Prigozhin’s headstone
Yavgeny Prigozhin (pictured) was killed in an alleged plane crash last week, two months to the day after he staged a coup against Putin
Many across the world pointed fingers at Vladimir Putin (pictured) as the person who ordered his death
Secrecy had surrounded the funeral of the violent warlord, which was reportedly attended just by close friends and family members.
Heavy security was involved across the whole ceremony, with several guards and metal detectors present.
Prigozhin is believed to have been buried next to his father.
A Russian news outlet, MSK1.RU, quoted cemetery staff as saying that the privacy of the ceremony was in accordance with his family’s wish.
His funeral took place in a small graveyard on the edge of St Petersburg, his hometown
Only close friends and family members attended the small, private ceremony
Putin did not attend the funeral, despite the pair sharing a close relationship in the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last week, two months to the day after he staged a coup against Putin.
Two other top Wagner figures, four Prigozhin bodyguards and three crew members were also killed when the Embraer Legacy 600 private jet crashed north of Moscow.
Many across the world pointed fingers at Putin as the person who ordered his death.
The Kremlin has rejected as an ‘absolute lie’ the suggestion that Putin ordered his death in revenge for the revolt, which saw Wagner troops and tanks take over the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on their way up to Moscow.
Prigozhin and his mercenary group were sent to Belarus after a deal was reached between himself and the Kremlin, which was brokered by Belarus’ president Alexander Lukashenko, that allowed him to walk away without any charges against his name.
Though his funeral has taken place, and genetic testing run by Russia’s Investigative Committee seemingly confirmed that he had in fact died on the fateful plane ride north of Moscow, this hasn’t stopped some from claiming that Prigozhin is still alive.
Dr Valery Solovey, a Russian political analyst, claims that the warlord is ‘alive, free and well.’
Armed police were seen surveying the surrounding area at the ceremony
Metal detectors, as well as heavy security, were seen at the ceremony to mourn the dead warlord
Police were seen inspecting and guarding the grave of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the dead Wagner chief
Two other top Wagner figures, four Prigozhin bodyguards and three crew members were also killed in the plane crash
‘First, the plane in which Yevgeny Prigozhin was supposed to fly was downed by a Russian air defence system,’ he said, challenging US intelligence claims that the plane was destroyed by a blast on board.
‘There was no explosion on board. It was downed from the outside.’
The secret operation to carry out this strike ‘was developed in [Russia’s] Security Council, and was sanctioned personally by the Russian president [Vladimir Putin]’, he claimed.
Earlier today, the final photos of the Wagner chief emerged, showing him snapping selfies with locals in what is understood to be Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.
The mercenary leader, who had traded his typical military fatigues for plain civilian clothes, was surrounded by beaming locals who appeared thrilled to meet the Russian oligarch, posing for pictures, shaking hands and embracing the notorious figure.
The fate of the Wagner group is not currently known, and many interested groups are speculating over what will happen to the private military company, set up in 2014.
Putin forced Wagner fighters to swear an oath of allegiance to Russia just a few day after reports of their leader’s death had emerged.
The wording of the oath includes a line forcing oath-takers to strictly follow the orders of commanders and senior Russian leaders.
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