A statue of Prigozhin was unveiled at his mausoleum in St. Petersburg

A bronze statue of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former leader of the Wagner paramilitary group who died in a plane crash in August 2023, two months after the aborted uprising in Russia, was unveiled Saturday at his grave in St. Petersburg.

Dozens of supporters of the former billionaire were seen marching in front of the statue of Prigozhin, marking his stand, with some placing bouquets there, the AFP journalist noted. Many of them were wearing military uniforms with their faces covered.

Thanks to contracts for Russian military canteens in the early 2000s, Yevgeny Prigozhin founded the Wagner Group in 2014, initially responsible for the Kremlin’s ill-fated missions in Africa and the Middle East, and later mobilized from Ukraine. 2022 start.

Evgeny Prigozhin, previously considered close to Vladimir Putin, fell into disgrace in the Russian president’s eyes after ordering his men to march toward Moscow in June 2023, seizing control of the military headquarters in Rostov in particular, in the south.

Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Russian military command of incompetence and corruption in Ukraine, as well as hiding the reality on the ground from Vladimir Putin. Although he and his men eventually gave up on reaching the Russian capital after several uncertain hours, the episode remains the most dangerous moment in Vladimir Putin’s quarter-century in power.

Two months later, in August 2023, Evgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the crash. Vladimir Putin, for his part, spoke publicly of a “talented” man who had made “mistakes.” Many of Wagner’s fighters were later integrated into the Russian army or other formations.

In Moscow, an improvised monument to Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his faithful companion Dmitri Outkin, who died with him, has been erected for months in the city center, very close to the Kremlin’s red walls.

The former Wagner boss, who was very popular in Russian anti-war society, would have turned 63 on Saturday.

In mid-May, Vladimir Putin sacked his defense minister since 2012, after Prigozhin’s criticism of Sergei Shoigu and several senior officials were arrested on corruption charges.