Russian President Vladimir Putin said that grenade parts were found in the bodies found in the wreckage of the plane crash in which Wagner’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin died.
Putin answered questions on current issues at the International Valday Club meeting held in Sochi.
Stating that Russia continues to ship to Europe via the TurkStream natural gas pipeline, Putin said: “It seems that Ukrainian terrorist groups want to damage this line.” said.
Putin emphasized that Russian warships protect the pipeline systems under the Black Sea and said, “However, they are trying to attack the lines with Ukrainian unmanned marine vehicles, and these attacks are being prepared with the participation of English-speaking experts. We hear this in the conversations we listen to. “You can draw whatever inference you want from this.” he said.
PUTIN: DRUG ANALYSIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE ON THOSE ON THE CRASHED PLANE
Putin also made statements regarding the incident in which a private jet crashed in the Tver region of Russia on August 23, killing 10 people, including Prigozhin.
Stating that there remains an unanswered question regarding the incident, Putin said: “I know that there is probably an open question about what happened to the management of the (Wagner) Company.” said.
Stating that the Russian Investigative Committee had recently given him a report on the incident, Putin said: “Hand grenade parts were found in the bodies of those who died in the accident. “There was no external impact on the plane, and this is a proven fact as a result of the investigation carried out by the Investigative Committee of Russia.” he said.
Pointing out that drugs were found in the searches made at Prigozhin’s house and Wagner’s offices, Putin said, “Unfortunately, no expert examination was carried out for alcohol or drugs in the blood of the dead. “In my opinion, such an investigation should have been done, but it was not done.” he said.
“SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF WAGNER’S WARRIORS JOINED THE RUSSIAN ARMY”
Emphasizing that there is no consensus yet on whether there is a need for Wagner-like groups in Russia, Putin said, “However, as of today, I can say with certainty that several thousand fighters from this company have signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces. “They can participate in military operations if they want.” he said.
Putin stated that there are no private military companies in Russia and said, “Private military company was a title given by the press. Since there is no law on private military companies in Russia, there are no private military companies. “We do not own such companies and never have.” he said.