The Russian authorities have formally confirmed the demise of the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, with investigators saying on Sunday that genetic testing confirmed that the victims of a aircraft crash final week matched all of the names on the jet’s manifest.
Mr. Prigozhin was presumed to have died within the crash on Wednesday, an incident that got here two months after he launched a failed mutiny towards Russia’s army management and which U.S. and Western officers consider was the results of an explosion on board. Nevertheless, the Russian authorities had mentioned they have been awaiting the outcomes of an investigation earlier than confirming the identities of these on board.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for Russia’s investigative committee, mentioned in a assertion posted on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday that the identities of all 10 lifeless had been established and that they corresponded to these listed on the flight log.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday, in his first feedback on the crash, spoke obliquely of Mr. Prigozhin’s demise, referring to him up to now tense, however didn’t verify it. “He made some critical errors in life, however he additionally achieved vital outcomes,” Mr. Putin mentioned.
