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Wagner Group mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is buried in a secret ceremony in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photo/REUTERS
JAKARTA – Wagner Group mercenary boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been buried in a secret ceremony in Russia. He was declared dead along with nine other people in a private plane crash in Tver on Wednesday last week.
The plane crash came two months after Prigozhin led Wagner in an armed uprising against the military in Russia.
Boss Wagner’s funeral was unusual, as it took place in secret and was closely guarded by the Russian military.
4 Facts about Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Secret Funeral
1. Buried in St Petersburg
The late Prigozhin was buried in Porokhovskoe, St Petersburg, Russia. Authorities confirmed the funeral on Tuesday (29/8/2023).
Quoting Reuters, Prigozhin’s funeral took place away from the media spotlight. From a number of photos and videos circulating, his grave was filled with flowers and the presence of security officers.
An employee who was also present said that only around 20 to 30 people attended Prigozhin’s funeral. Not only that, the time is quite short, around 40 minutes.
2. Vladimir Putin Not Present
Before Prigozhin’s secret funeral agenda was announced, the Kremlin had previously confirmed that President Vladimir Putin would not attend. Furthermore, the only people involved in the funeral procession were family and friends.
The Kremlin did not explain why Putin was absent from his former ally’s funeral.
3. Reasons for Closed Burial
There are a number of reasons that might underlie the decision to hold Prigozhin’s funeral privately. One is to avoid spontaneous demonstrations in support of Prigozhin.
Quoting The Guardian, several analysts think that the Kremlin is trying to confuse the public regarding the location of Prigozhin’s burial. Even though the place was known, the procession was still held behind closed doors.
