Yevgeny Prigozhin set to be denied state funeral
Yevgeny Prigozhin looks set to be denied the state funeral to which he is entitled to after the Kremlin said it expected the mercenary boss’s family to make their own arrangements.
Prigozhin, who owed his meteoric rise to power to Vladimir Putin, fell out of favour with the Kremlin after he mounted a failed mutiny in June. He died when his jet crashed in Russia on Wednesday.
Kremlin-watchers said the funeral of the Wagner Group leader would be a solid indication of what was going to happen to his legacy.
Months before he sent his troops towards Moscow, Prigozhin was awarded the Hero of Russia order, a prestigious medal that entitles the recipient to a state funeral with an honorary guard.
However, on Monday Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, would not confirm whether Prigozhin would be given an official burial, telling told Russian news agencies: “Decisions like that are typically made together with the family, and it is up to the family to decide.”
Asked whether Putin was going to attend the funeral, Mr Peskov said he could not say because he had no information on the funeral arrangements.
Over the weekend, Russian media reported that DNA tests had confirmed that the Wagner boss and his top commanders were among the victims of the plane crash. Mr Peskov said the tests were carried out on Sunday.
Sergei Markov, a spin doctor close to the Kremlin, said on Monday that the Moscow was likely to opt for a small funeral without military honours and would discourage “large-scale farewell ceremonies and patriotic rallies”.
Mr Prigozhin’s body was identified and taken to his native St Petersburg following the final DNA test on Sunday, Russian media reported.
