The Kremlin has denied allegations that the Russian investigation into the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Wagner, has been slow. Despite over three weeks passing since the crash, no updates have been provided regarding the cause of the incident.
When Prigozhin’s plane crashed between Moscow and St. Petersburg on August 23, exactly two months after he led a mutiny in Russia, Western countries suspected foul play and pointed fingers at the Kremlin.
In other plane incidents, such as an emergency landing in Siberia this week, Russian investigators promptly released possible causes.
When asked about the speed of the investigation into the Prigozhin crash, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, “No, I absolutely do not think that.” He further explained, “The investigation is not a simple one, and the incident itself is not a simple one.”
“The investigation is still ongoing, which is why providing any commentary at this point would be premature,” Peskov added.
Following the crash, President Putin described Prigozhin as a man who had made “serious mistakes in his life but achieved the right results.”
Russia has a history of suspicious deaths of Kremlin opponents during Putin’s presidency.