City Saint Petersburg Financial News

Yevgeny Prigozhin, ending a tumultuous journey from St. Petersburg street thug to Kremlin-financed mercenary leader, following a suspicious plane crash two months after his brief mutiny that challenged the authority of President Vladimir Putin.

mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last week, a farewell service was held for him, a report by news agency AP said on Tuesday citing Wagner spokespeople’s statement. Those who wish to bid their farewell to the 62-year-old mercenary leader should go to the Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, his hometown, the report said citing the statement.

By Marco Bello and Joseph Ax

Putin is not planning to attend the funeral for Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin said, following reports that the mercenary chief who challenged the Russian leader's authority would be buried Tuesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn't say where or when the chief of the Wagner Group military company would be buried, adding that he couldn't comment on a private family ceremony. St. Petersburg's Fontanka news outlet and some other media said the 62-year-old Prigozhin could be laid to rest as early as Tuesday at the city's Serafimovskoye cemetery, which has been used for high-profile military burials.

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prighozin that crashed? Though the death of Prighozin has not been officially confirmed yet, he is presumed to be dead. Ten bodies have been recovered from the debris of the Embraer aircraft that crashed while flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Though the reasons for the crash are not yet clear, the aircraft came down near the village of Kuzhenkino Tver. Seven Wagner members and three crew members have been killed in the crash.

Kremlin on Friday dismissed rumours it orchestrated the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, presumed dead in a plane crash two months after leading a mutiny in Russia. It also announced by decree that Russian paramilitary fighters will be obliged to swear an oath to the Russian flag, part of measures to rein in groups like Wagner in the wake of the uprising. Speculation the Kremlin may have been involved in the crash has swirled since Wednesday, when a private jet reportedly carrying Prigozhin crashed between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The rumours have been voiced by Western countries, Kremlin critics and even suggested by some pro-Kremlin figures. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the incident as «tragic» to reporters on Friday and acknowledged public discourse around foul play and possible involvement of the authorities. «Of course, in the West, this speculation is being presented from a certain angle. All of this is an absolute lie,» Peskov said, urging patience and adding that ongoing probes would reveal facts around the fatal crash. Russian officials have opened an investigation into air traffic violations but have so far not disclosed details of the probe or the incident. President Vladimir Putin broke his silence on the crash Thursday, offering condolences to the families of the 10 people onboard and describing the incident as a «tragedy.» He said Prigozhin, who in June led an armed mutiny against Russia's military leadership, had made some «serious mistakes in his life» and had a «complicated fate.» — Suspicious timing — The short-lived but bloody unrest was seen by observers as having been the biggest threat to Putin's long rule. Moscow has not yet confirmed Prigozhin's death.

According to a recent survey, conducted by the joint team of Saint Petersburg Exchange and the Russian Trading System (RTS), more than half of Russian citizens are willing to store their money in a central bank digital currency (CBDC). However, when it comes to storing more than 20,000 rubles (roughly $212), only 17% trust digital ruble. 

Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the list of passengers on the plane that crashed on a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg. A plane carrying three crew members and seven passengers that was en route from Moscow to St.

Merriam Webster, Psy Op stands for military operations usually aimed at influencing the enemy's state of mind through noncombative means Elon Musk's response came after a X user posted, "That didn't take too long." See the post here Elon Musk is known to never shy away from commenting on worldly controversial events, and his remark on the Wagner chief's death is no surprise either. Elon Musk's comments seem to reiterate what experts and western think tanks have opinied that the ‘accident’ was an assassination to avenge a mutiny that challenged President Vladimir Putin’s authority. Russia's Vladimir Putin has also remained silent as speculation swirled.

Also read: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin death rumours: How World is reacting to Russian mercenary chief possible demise Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault in 1981, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. When he got out, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group who led an aborted revolt against President Vladimir Putin earlier this summer, was listed as a passenger on a private jet that crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, Reuters, BBC and The Associated Press reported.

MOSCOW (Reuters) — Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a private jet which crashed on Wednesday evening north of Moscow with no survivors, the Russian authorities said.

Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board, Russian emergency officials said.

By Olena Harmash

State Antony Blinken on Thursday pressed African leaders attending a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin to demand answers about a grain crisis that has propelled poorer nations towards crisis. Speaking ahead of a Russia-Africa sitdown in Putin's hometown of Saint Petersburg, Blinken insisted African leaders knew rising food costs, grain and fertiliser shortages were a direct result of Putin's war in Ukraine. Several African leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are expected to attend the Konstantinovsky Palace summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart met in St. Petersburg on Sunday - nearly after a month after the Wagner mutiny rocked Moscow. According to Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner militia fighters are now assembling en masse in Belarus and had recently asked him “for permission to go on a trip to Warsaw".

Prigozhin is still in Russia, Belarus's president said on Thursday, despite a deal with the Kremlin for him to move to Belarus following his failed insurrection last month. «As far as Prigozhin is concerned, he is in Saint Petersburg… He is not in Belarus,» Alexander Lukashenko told reporters from foreign media outlets. Lukashenko said that fighters from Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group have also not moved to Belarus yet, despite an offer from the Kremlin for those who took part in the failed mutiny to do so. «At the moment the question of their transfer and set-up has not been decided,» Lukashenko said. «I am absolutely not worried or concerned that we will host a certain number of these fighters here,» he added.

Russia’s Ministry of Energy is pushing for the legalization of industrial crypto mining, and wants lawmakers to press ahead with a much-anticipated mining-related bill.

A new world order could be emerging as economic powerhouses increase their efforts to distance themselves from US dollar hegemony.

The leaders of Estonia and Finland want other EU countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens, saying they should not be able to travel to Europe on holiday while the Kremlin carries out a devastating war in Ukraine. 

1. Drone attack on Russia's Black Sea HQ in Crimea