…. Says we will not forget Wagner’s role in Ukraine
The Russian President, Vladimr Putin has expressed his condolence to the families of those killed in the plane crash in Moscow that also claimed the life of his associate, Yevgeny Prigozhin of the Wagner’s group and others.
Reported to be alongside Prigozhin on the plane was his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin, as well as five other Wagner members and three crew.
“Initial data suggests employees of the Wagner company were on board,” Putin acknowledges.
“I would like to note that these are people who have made a significant contribution to our common cause of fighting the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine,” he continues.
“We remember and know it, and we will not forget it.”
Putin has frequently claimed the presence of neo-Nazis in Ukraine as a justification for his invasion of the neighbouring country – claims which have been debunked. It’s also worth noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy is Jewish.
Putin pays tribute to the man who was once known as his “chef” due to lucrative contracts he had to supply food to the Kremlin.
“I have known Prigozhin for a long time, since the beginning of the 1990s,” Putin says in his televised address.
In an apparent reference to Wagner’s aborted mutiny in June, Putin continues: “This was a person with a complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in life, but also sought to achieve the necessary results – both for himself and at time when I asked him to, for the common cause, such as in these recent months.”. BBC
