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Vladimir Putin has said that the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had a “complicated fate” in his first remarks about the plane crash said to have killed him. In a televised speech, the Russian president offered his condolences to the families of the 10 people who died in the crash on Wednesday evening, while appearing to eulogise Prigozhin, 62, as a “talented businessman”. Putin said that the Wagner chief had made “serious mistakes in his life” – seemingly a reference to the attempted mutiny led by Prigozhin in June that was the most significant challenge to the Russian leader's authority during his 20 years in power. It was that armed uprising, ended after 24 hours by a deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin with Wagner fighters 125 miles from Moscow, that led many to believe that Prigozhin would face retribution from Putin. The episode was an embarrassment for the Russian leader of the kind he has repeatedly – and severely – punished over the years. “I have known Prigozhin for a long time, since the 1990s. He made some serious mistakes in life, but he also achieved the necessary results for himself but also for the greater good when I asked him. He was a talented man, a talented businessman,” Putin said from the Kremlin, speaking about Prigozhin in the past tense. Speculation over the fate of the Wagner chief has been swirling for more than 24 hours, after the Russian civil aviation authority said that Prigozhin was on the plane that went down between Moscow to St Petersburg, leaving no survivors of the seven passengers and three crew on board. The passenger manifest included Prigozhin and his second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, who baptised the group with his nom de guerre, as well as Wagner's logistics chief, a fighter wounded by US airstrikes in Syria, and at least one possible bodyguard. US officials, speaking to The New York Times, have suggested that an explosion on the plane was the likely cause for the crash, but cautioned that no definitive conclusions had been drawn. One official also told the Associated Press that an explosion fell in line with Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics”. In Russia, the Baza news outlet, which has sources among law enforcement agencies, suggested that Russian investigators looking into the crash were considering a theory that a bomb had been planted on board. While the Kremlin would see the benefit of such a line of inquiry, leaders of a number of nations have already suggested that nothing this big could occur in Russia without Putin being aware. Ukraine's President Zelensky, whose nation Putin's forces invaded in February last year, suggested as much in announcing that his nation had nothing to do with the plane coming down. "We have nothing to do with this. Everyone understands who does," he said. Prigozhin's Wagner forces have been involved in some of the bloodiest fighting in eastern Ukraine, particularly around the city of Bakhmut, and have faced accusations of war crimes. “I can’t say anything good about these subhumans,” Mr Zelensky added, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. “It’s either a judgment at the Hague, or God’s judgement.” Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, said: “It is no coincidence that the whole world immediately looks at the Kremlin when a disgraced ex-confidant of Putin suddenly falls from the sky, two months after he attempted an uprising.” Putin said that those on the plane had “made a significant contribution” to the fighting in Ukraine. “We remember this, we know, and we will not forget,” the president said, with Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region, also present. The Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region north of Moscow. On Thursday, men were carrying away black body bags on stretchers. Part of the plane's tail and other fragments lay on the ground near a wooded area where forensic investigators had erected a tent. Kuzhenkino resident Anastasia Bukharova, 27, told the Associated Press that she was walking with her children Wednesday when she saw the jet, “and then – boom! – it exploded in the sky and began to fall down”. She said she was scared it would hit houses in the village and ran with the children, but it ended up crashing into a field. Russian authorities said on Thursday that the investigation into the crash would be led by Ivan Sibul, a veteran investigator who has previously examined other high-profile plane crashes. Prigozhin long railed against how Russian generals were waging the war in Ukraine. For a long time, Putin appeared content to allow such infighting – and Prigozhin seemed to have the unusual latitude to speak his mind. In the deal that ended his revolt, Prigozhin was due to head to Belarus with some of his fighters to settle. Thousands of fighters have set up in Belarus, including training Belarusian troops near the Polish border, but Prigozhin has been photographed back in Russia. Poland is sending up to 10,000 of its troops to its border with Belarus, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki believing that their threat will only grow. “The Wagner Group comes under Putin's leadership. Let everyone answer the question for themselves – will the threat be bigger or smaller? For me, that's a rhetorical question,” he said on Thursday. Putin said he was told that Prigozhin had returned from Africa – where Wagner has an extensive presence – earlier on Wednesday, shortly before his apparent death, and had held meetings with officials in Moscow. Seemingly referring to Wagner's extensive – and lucrative – deployment in Africa, which is essentially an extension of Russian power in the region, Putin said that Prigozhin had “worked not only in our country, and achieved results, but also abroad, particularly in Africa. He was involved there with oil, gas, precious metals and stones”. An informal memorial to Progozhin in St Petersburg attracted plenty of flowers on Thursday, and Putin’s remarks on Wagner's service may be aimed at calming some of the vitriol that has come Moscow's way in the wake of the crash. “Prigozhin died as the result of the actions of Russia’s traitors,” wrote the Grey Zone, a social media outlet close to Wagner. “But even in hell, he’ll be the best! Glory to Russia!” Other Wagner-affiliated sources suggested they would seek to avenge Prigozhin’s death, with one video purportedly showing Wagner fighters carrying the message that Moscow should “expect us”. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More Ukraine war - live: Putin breaks silence on Prigozhin’s death as Wagner fighters warn Moscow ‘expect us’ Wagner Group: Timeline of Yevgeny Progozhin’s private army as leader ‘killed in plane crash’ Prigozhin's purported demise seems intended to send a clear message to potential Kremlin foes The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, is reported to have been killed in a plane crash northwest of Moscow - exactly two months after leading a short-lived and unsuccessful mutiny against president Vladimir Putin. The plane crash which happened near the village of Kuzhenkino, northwest of Moscow, during a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg on Wednesday evening. Western intelligence agencies believe that Putin may have had a hand in downing the aircraft. The Wagner Group has become best known for its involvement in Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, but the private army, which Prigozhin claimed had 25,000 soldiers at the beginning of the war, has been around since 2014 and has been involved in several other conflicts. Here, The Independent takes a look at Wagner’s involvement in other countries, when it got involved in Ukraine and the events surrounding Prigozhin’s failed mutiny back in June, which sent shockwaves through Russia. 2014 - Wager group is founded by Prigozhin Prigozhin, a wealthy businessman known as Putin’s chef because he provided catering services to the Kremlin, said he founded the group back in 2014 and it was involved in Russia’s invasion and annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. Wagner forces have been involved in Syria’s civil war since 2015, supporting pro-government forces and oil fields. The group has had a growing presence in Africa in recent years and has been detected in Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic and Mail. 28 March 2022 - mercenaries are deployed to Ukraine Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) first reported that Wagner had been deployed in Ukraine on 28 March 2022, just a month into the Kremlin’s invasion – after Russian losses had already begun to hamper the pace of the initial assault. But some reports suggest they had been involved since the beginning of the invasion on 24 February. Military consultant Nicholas Drummond told The Independent: “Wagner was involved from the start but the group started to become a key player when the initial assault ran into difficulty. “By the end of March, it was very evident that the invasion had gone wrong. Putin used Prigozhin as a troubleshooter and Wagner was there to fill the gaps.” 14 April - Prigozhin calls for end to war Prigozhin urges Putin to end the war and to tell the Russian people that the country had achieved the aims of its “special military operation. He claimed that Russia had taken a “fat chunk” of Ukrainian territory, and that the most strategic route for its armed forces - who have suffered severe losses - would be to defend existing gains. His comments, which came in a rambling statement posted online, marked the first time a senior figure in the war publicly called for the Kremlin to stop the war. Over the next few months - and up until the weeks before his reported death - he would go on to repeatedly criticise the Kremlin’s strategy in the war and complain about the number of troops he was losing. 4 May - Prigozhin rages at top military brass Prigozhin launches blistering attack on Russia top military brass after suffering heavy losses on Bakhmut. In an expletive-ridden video, recorded in a field littered with corpses, blamed the Kremlin for the deaths. “These are Wagner lads who died today. The blood is still fresh,” he says, pointing to roughly three dozen bodies he says are Wagner fighters. “They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices.” 20 May - Wager claims it has taken Bakhmut Wagner claims that its forces have taken control of the city of Bakhmut after the longest and most grinding battle of the Russia-Ukraine war, but Ukrainian defense officials dismiss claims as false. In a video posted on Telegram, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said the city came under complete Russian control at about midday Saturday. He spoke flanked by about half a dozen fighters, with ruined buildings in the background and explosions heard in the distance. However, after the video appeared, Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said heavy fighting was continuing. 25 May - Wagner troops leave Bakhmut Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has started withdrawing its forces from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and transferring its positions there to regular Russian troops, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video published on Thursday. "We are withdrawing the units from Bakhmut. From today at five in the morning, May 25 until June 1, most of the units will rebase to camps in the rear. We are handing our positions to the military," he said. 23/24June - Prigozhin leads rebellion against Kremlin Prigozhin leads rebellion against the Kremlin and demands the sacking of defence minister Sergei Shoigu, who he blames for Russia’s faltering campaign in Ukraine Thousands of Wagner fighters move rapidly from Russia’s south towards the capital in a "march for justice", reportedly making it to within 120 miles from the city before Priogozhin calls off their advance. 27 June - Belarus president claims he convinced Prigozhin to call off mutiny Alexander Lukashenko says that he convinced Prigozhin in an emotional, expletive-laden phone call to end the mutiny. Under a deal brokered by Lukashenko, an old friend, Prigozhin abandoned what a "march for justice" by thousands of his men on Moscow in exchange for safe passage to exile in Belarus. 6 July - Prigozhin ‘free’ man in St Petersburg Lukashenko says Prigozhin is in St Petersburg and a "free" man - despite staging rebellion weeks earlier. The Belarusian leader said then "maybe he went to Moscow, maybe somewhere else, but he is not on the territory of Belarus". 18 July - Prigozhin welcomes troops to Belarus Wagner chief appears in video allegedly showing him welcoming his troops to Belarus. 27 July - Images suggest Wagner chief attended meeting in St Petersburg Images posted online appear to show Prigozhin attending a meeting in St Petersburg, where Putin was also in attendance for the Russia-Africa summit. 22 August - Prigozhin posts final video before reported death In the video, Mr Prigozhin was seen toting an assault rifle and wearing military fatigues, with his comments suggesting the clip was shot in an unnamed African country. The Wagner boss said during the clip that he is recruiting “strongmen” and said the group will “fulfil the tasks that were set” by the Russian government. The video was shared on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner group, as Mr Prigozhin said the mercenary group was “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free”. 23 August - Prigozhin reportedly killed in plane crash Prigozhin is presumed dead after being named among passengers on a private jet that crashed into a field near Moscow with no survivors. Kremlin stays silent on plane crash throughout the following day. Read More If the Wagner mercenary chief is dead, he got the death he deserved Minister warns against jumping to conclusions over Wagner chief’s reported death The downed Russian jet carried Wagner's hierarchy, from Prigozhin's No. 2 to his bodyguards The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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