Putin is not planning to attend the funeral for Wagner chief Prigozhin, the Kremlin says
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.
Heavy police cordons encircled the cemetery, where Putin's parents are also buried, but no service was immediately held and police left.
Later in the day, a funeral was held at St. Petersburg's Northern Cemetery for Wagner's logistics chief Valery Chekalov, who died in the Aug.
23 crash alongside Prigozin, according to Fontanka.
The tight secrecy and confusion surrounding the funeral of Prigozhin and his top lieutenants reflected a dilemma faced by the Kremlin amid swirling speculation that the crash was likely a vendetta for his mutiny.
While it tried to avoid any pomp-filled ceremony for the man branded by Putin as a traitor for his rebellion, the Kremlin couldn't afford to denigrate Prigozhin, who was given Russia's highest award for leading Wagner forces in Ukraine and was idolized by many of the country's hawks.
Putin's comments on Prigozhin's death reflected that careful stand. He noted last week that Wagner leaders «made a significant contribution» to the fighting in Ukraine and described Prigozhin as a «talented businessman» and «a man of difficult fate» who had «made serious mistakes in life.»
The country's top
