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Rabat – A private funeral has taken place for Russian Wagner chief Yavgeny Prigozhin, his spokespeople said on Tuesday in a statement disseminated through their social media channels.
“The farewell to Yevgeny Viktorovich took place in a closed format. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery,” Reuters quoted a statement published by the spokespeople on Telegram as saying.
The Associated Press reported that the Kremlin had said earlier that Russian president Vladimir Putin was not planning to attend the funeral of the mercenary chief, who had challenged his rule earlier this year through a coup.
Russian authorities confirmed Prigozhin’s death on Sunday after his business jet crashed near Moscow last week.
The Investigative Committee, which announced the mercenary leader’s death, did not say what caused the jet to fall, with many claiming that Putin was behind the leader’s death, as payback for his attempt to seize power.
In response to a preliminary U.S. intelligence report which implied that Prigozhin was assassinated by Putin, the Kremlin rejected the allegation as an “absolute lie.”
Back in June, Prigozhin directed his mercenaries to take over a military headquarters in Russia and began a march towards the capital Moscow, in the biggest challenge to Putin’s firm hold on power since he took over in 1999.
While Putin vowed to punish the perpetrators of the coup, calling it “treason,” Prigozhin managed to strike a deal that saw him end the rebellion in exchange for amnesty and a move to neighboring Belarus.
Also on Tuesday, St. Petersburg’s Northern Cemetery saw a funeral for Wagner logistics chief Valery Chekalov, who also died in the crash alongside Prigozhin.
Dmitry Utkin, who was Prigozhin’s second-in-command in the Wagner group, was also among the 10 killed in the crash.
