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Wagner-affiliated bloggers have erupted at suggestions from Vladimir Putin that the plane crash which killed Yevgeny Prigozhin might have been caused by hand grenades being set off onboard.<\/p>\n
During a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, October 5, the Russian leader also suggested the bodies of those on the plane should be tested for drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n
The Greyzone, a telegram channel heavily linked with the Russian PMC posted a series of angry posts in reaction to Putin’s remarks.<\/p>\n
Prigozhin, Wagner’s CEO at the time, died alongside a number of the mercenary group’s top military commanders when the private jet crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region of Russia.<\/p>\n
The crash is officially the subject of a state investigation though many suspect the Kremlin is to blame given the timing of the incident, months after Prigozhin headed an abortive ‘March on Moscow” before making a last-minute deal to end the mutiny.<\/p>\n
Read More <\/strong> Russian secret service plot to assassinate Putin exposed at ‘karaoke club meet’<\/strong><\/p>\n The Greyzone has hit out at any suggestion that Wagner’s leader would have been drunk or on drugs, calling the PMC, the “most combat-ready unit in the history of modern Russia.”<\/p>\n A post in the Telegram channel said with sarcasm: “A short summary: the most combat-ready unit in the history of modern Russia was commanded by alcoholics and drug addicts who, being professional soldiers, did not know about the rules for handling hand grenades.<\/p>\n “However, the people of Russia will forever remember them differently.”<\/p>\n In another post, the channel’s author writes: “The version about self-detonation is laughter and farce.”<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> In Sochi, Putin reported that the bodies of those who died on the private jet contained shrapnel from grenades.<\/p>\n He said: “Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash.”<\/p>\n In an apparent attempt to denigrate the image of the Wagner leadership, who maintain a cult following from some in Russia, Putin said that around five kilograms of cocaine were discovered in searches of Prigozhin’s offices in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n The Kremlin has strongly denied accusations of having Prigozhin killed with the Kremlin’s spokesman branding the claims a “complete lie”.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/Putin-sparked-a-black-lash-from-Wagner-supporters-4997214.jpg?r=1696582265961\")
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