Although his death has not been officially declared by the Russian authorities or confirmed by family members or business associates, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia spoke of Mr. Prigozhin in the past tense on Thursday and offered condolences to the families of the crash’s 10 victims.
And Pentagon officials for the first time openly said they believe that Mr. Prigozhin did not survive the crash, in which all on board were killed.
Mr. Prigozhin had long leveraged a close relationship with the Kremlin to gain lucrative government construction and catering contracts, and he built up the paramilitary force, known as Wagner, in close cooperation with Russia’s military intelligence services.
For years he kept a low public profile.
Even as Wagner conducted operations on Moscow’s behalf in Syria and in several African countries, he denied any affiliation.
Persons:
Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Russia, Prigozhin, Wagner
Organizations:
Pentagon, Kremlin
Locations:
Ukraine, Africa, Russia, Syria