(Updated with statement from the Intergovernmental Aviation Committee)
MOSCOW, Aug 30 (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the investigation into the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin did not rule out the possibility that the plane crash was deliberately caused, recognizing for the first time explicitly the hypothesis of an assassination.
“Obviously different versions are being considered, including the version – you know what we are talking about – of a deliberate atrocity,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“Let’s wait for the results of the Russian investigation,” he added.
The Embraer private jet aboard which Wagner’s chief was traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed on August 23, killing all ten people on board, including two other Wagner officials, four bodyguards and three staff members. crew.
The cause of the plane’s downfall is not yet established and witnesses told Reuters they heard a bang followed by the plane crashing.
The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, buried in a private ceremony on the outskirts of St. Petersburg on Tuesday, came exactly two months after the brief rebellion of Wagner fighters against Russian military command, the most significant threat to the against President Vladimir Putin since he came to power in 1999.
Russia has warned the Brazilian Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) that it will not open, “for the moment”, an investigation obeying international rules into the plane crash that took place. cost the life of Yevgeny Prigojine.
“First of all, the investigation is ongoing, the investigation committee is dealing with it,” commented Dmitry Peskov. “In this case, there can be no question of any international aspect.”
In an unusual statement from him, the Intergovernmental Aviation Committee (IAC), which oversees aviation incident investigations in several former Soviet republics including Russia, announced that it was not investigating the accident, adding that he would not comment on the “circumstances of the incident”. (Written by Guy Faulconbridge; French version Diana Mandiá, editing by Kate Entringer)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.