Putin claims Prigozhin's plane crashed after grenades exploded inside due to 'drink & drugs'

The plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to Vladimir Putin, was caused by hand grenades detonating inside the jet. Russian president said this while making first comments on the reason behind plane crash. He also speculated that the Wagner chief may have been high on drugs. Prigozhin was killed when his business plane crashed on August 23, two months after staging an abortive mutiny against Russian military authorities in which his Wagner mercenary forces temporarily took control of Rostov and marched towards Moscow. Two additional high Wagner commanders, four bodyguards for Prigozhin, and a crew of three were also slain. Putin said, citing information provided to him by the chairman of Russia’s investigating committee a few days ago. “Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash,” Putin said at a gathering of the Valdai Discussion Club thinktank in Sochi, Russia. “There was no external impact on the plane - this is already an established fact,” Putin stated, rejecting accusations from western intelligence services that the disaster was caused by a bomb. Putin did not go into detail about how the devices could have detonated on board, but he did suggest that drink and drugs could have played a role in the tragedy. “Unfortunately, no examination was carried out to determine the presence of alcohol or drugs in the blood of the victims,” Putin stated. “Although we know… that the FSB discovered not only 10 billion roubles in cash, but also 5 kilograms of cocaine,” he remarked, alluding to the stacks of cash and drugs allegedly seized by the security services during a search of Prigozhin’s residence following his failed revolt. Putin criticized Russia’s experience with Wagner as “clumsy,” adding that the group was formed out of “necessity” rather than on the basis of Russian law. He said that there were “no private military companies in Russia” since there was no legislation to govern them. Putin went on to say that “several thousand soldiers” from the Wagner organization had signed contracts with Russia’s defense ministry. He made the remarks just days after the Russian president met with a former senior Wagner commander to explore how to best repurpose the notorious paramilitary force following the death of its founder. Ukrainian officials stated last week that some former Wagner fighters had returned to the battlefield but were serving as members of the regular army rather than as a separate force. After Prigozhin’s rebellion, Russia progressively took control of the Wagner group.