Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has been buried privately in a “farewell ceremony” in a St Petersburg cemetery, according to his press team.
Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash north of Moscow on 23 August, two months to the day since he led a failed mutiny against top Russian officials.
The aborted rebellion, where he had demanded the ousting of defence minister Sergei Shoigu, was the biggest challenge to President Putin’s rule since he rose to power in 1999.
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A portrait of Yevgeny Prigozhin on his grave in St Petersburg. Pic: STR/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
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Flowers are seen on Prigozhin’s grave after his funeral at the Porokhovskoye cemetery. Pic: AP
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Pictures from the Porokhovskoye cemetery showed Prigozhin’s dark granite tombstone surrounded by an array of flowers, mostly red roses. He is believed to have been buried next to his father.
In a statement on Telegram, the Wagner chief’s press service said: “The farewell to Yevgeny Viktorovich [Prigozhin] took place in a closed format. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery.”
Other cemeteries in the Russian city had previously been mentioned in media reports as likely sites for Tuesday’s burial.
More on Yevgeny Prigozhin
Secrecy had surrounded the funeral arrangements and the Kremlin said earlier that Mr Putin would not attend.
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Law enforcement officers guard an area near the grave
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not give any details about the burial because it was a private family matter.
Genetic tests confirmed Prigozhin had died in last Wednesday’s crash, Russia’s investigative committee announced on Sunday.
It did not say what might have caused his private jet to plummet from the sky minutes after taking off from the capital heading to St Petersburg.
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Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed dead
Sky News spoke to two members of the public, Kirill and Stas, who were passing by the closed cemetery and were asked who they thought killed Prigozhin.
Kirill said: “I think that there are a lot of people who are interested [in his death]. We are mere mortals, we will unlikely get to know about [who is behind it]. The rest is hype and speculation.”
Stas said: “Who am I to judge who is responsible? We are small people. I will say so, I think he’s in a better world now.
“If he really died, which I am unsure of, I honestly think he’s in a better world now. I don’t have positive or negative emotions towards him. But I think what he did during the special military operation, my personal opinion, deserves respect.”
The nine other people killed included two top Wagner Group figures – Prigozhin’s right-hand man Dmitry Utkin and head of logistics Valery Chekalov – as well as four of his bodyguards and three crew members.
At the Severnoye cemetery in St Petersburg on Tuesday, Chekalov’s family was joined by dozens of people, some of whom were believed to be Wagner mercenaries and workers from Prigozhin’s business empire.
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An Orthodox priest conducts a service during the funeral of Valery Chekalov at the Severnoye cemetery
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People mourn beside Chekalov’s coffin. Pic: AP
A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded an intentional explosion caused the crash, and Western officials have pointed to a long list of Mr Putin’s foes who have been assassinated.
The Kremlin has rejected as an “absolute lie” the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators – who have not proed eence – that the Russian president ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge for the June mutiny.
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Moment Russian jet crashes near Moscow
Read more:Prigozhin’s legacy will live on – Sean BellTimeline of Wagner leader’s movements after mutiny
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A photo of Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial in Moscow
In June, thousands of Prigozhin’s fighters had moved rapidly from Russia’s south towards the capital in a “march for justice”, and they reportedly made it to 120 miles from the city before he called off their advance.
Mr Putin slammed the revolt as “treason” and vowed to punish its perpetrators.
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But hours later, he struck an agreement that saw Prigozhin ending the mutiny in exchange for an amnesty and permission for him and his troops to move to Belarus.
