Decision on Prigozhin's Secret Burial Made by Putin's Administration and Special Services: The Moscow Times

The decision to organize the burial of Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, was made by the Russian presidential administration in conjunction with the special services. This was reported by The Moscow Times journalist Pyotr Kozlov, citing two current Russian officials.

According to the journalist's sources, the format of the burial was discussed during several meetings involving high-ranking officials from the Kremlin and the FSB. They assert that the development of the decision involved Sergei Kirienko, the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the President.

One official stated that the issue was framed such that “when Prigozhin’s coffin is lowered into the grave, there will be no mass gatherings of citizens, mercenaries, and supporters around, nor will there be broadcasts or photographs.”

Another interviewee mentioned that the country’s leadership “could not forgive” Prigozhin. According to him, “it’s not even about betrayal, but about humiliation.”

“Prigozhin, with his call for justice, with harsh and often truthful statements, stirred emotions among the Russians and became for them not a formal hero of Russia, but a ‘people’s hero.’ And do we need heroes gone to Moscow? No,” said the official.

The exact date and place of Yevgeny Prigozhin's burial have not been officially disclosed. On the morning of August 29, police and Wagner members were observed at the Northern and Serafimovsky cemeteries in Saint Petersburg. One of the passengers from the downed business jet, Valery Chekalov, a top manager of Prigozhin's structures, was buried at the Northern cemetery.

At around 5:00 PM, Prigozhin's press service announced that a private farewell ceremony for Yevgeny Prigozhin had taken place in Saint Petersburg. Prigozhin was laid to rest at the Porokhovy cemetery, next to his father. Following reports about Prigozhin's burial, police officers, military police, dog handlers, and bomb disposal specialists began monitoring the cemetery.