Russian mercenary Prigozhin's statue unveiled at his grave
Europe
By
AFP
| Jun 02, 2024
Mourners and soldiers on Saturday laid flowers at a new statue to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a pro-Kremlin mercenary who staged a mutiny and died in a plane crash, at his grave in Saint Petersburg.
Prigozhin was head of the Wagner private militia, which fought alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, capturing the city of Bakhmut in a grinding months-long assault.
He staged a 24-hour mutiny last June, seizing Russian military command buildings in the southern city of Rostov and marching on Moscow in a bid to oust the country's military leaders.
In voice messages published to social media he had raged daily against what he said was corruption and mismanagement of the offensive by bureaucrats in the defence ministry and General Staff.
Two months later, after backing down and being scolded as a traitor by President Vladimir Putin, he died in a plane crash.
READ MORE
Amos Kipruto claim Chicago Marathon crown
Shujaa crowned Safari Sevens champions in rare all-Kenyan affair finale
Nairobi to host Africa Blockchain Festival
Kenyans rally to plant trees in boost in the fight against climate change
Mazingira Day: Kenya sets sights on 17.2 million trees
Global reaction to US sanctions on International Criminal Court
Teachers threatens national exams boycott over low pay
South African judge Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize
New stars Owino, Ambale ready to shine for Shujaa at Safari Sevens
What the expanded World Cup format meant for betting strategies in 2026
On Saturday, when he would have turned 63, a bronze statue of Prigozhin was unveiled at his grave in Saint Petersburg's Porokhovskoye cemetery.
Mourners, including soldiers wearing Wagner insignia, some with their faces covered, laid flowers at the feet of the statue, an AFP reporter saw.
A makeshift memorial to Prigozhin, who was popular among his troops and supported by many of Russia's pro-offensive military bloggers, has stood for months in Moscow close to the Kremlin.
He was initially buried in a secret funeral following the plane crash.
Putin, who said grenade fragments were found in the plane's wreckage, called him a "talented" man who had made "serious mistakes" after his death.
The Kremlin has denied involvement in the crash.
Putin last month removed long-time defence chief Sergei Shoigu, who had been the target of Prigozhin's criticism, and several senior military figures have been arrested on corruption charges.