Hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of victims of a plane crash that killed former Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
Mr Prigozhin was reportedly among 10 people killed in a plane crash north of Moscow on 23 August, two months to the day after he led a failed mutiny against top Russian officials.
The aborted rebellion, during which he demanded the ousting of defence minister Sergei Shoigu, was the biggest challenge to President Putin’s rule since he rose to power in 1999.
But Mr Putin appeared to dismiss speculation the plane had been shot down, claiming there was “no external impact” and this “is already an established fact”.
“Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash,” he told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi.
He did not give any details around how a grenade could explode – but he said investigators should have tested the bodies for alcohol and drugs, given cocaine has been found at Wagner offices before.
The investigators have not publicly commented on the case, but Russia said it confirmed Mr Prigozhin’s death in the crash following genetic tests – without revealing the cause.
He was buried privately in a “farewell ceremony” in a St Petersburg cemetery last month, according to his press team.
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