Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosed that fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of the victims of the plane crash that claimed the life of former Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The incident occurred north of Moscow on August 23, just two months after Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against top Russian officials.

The mutiny, marked by Prigozhin’s demand for the ousting of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, posed a significant challenge to Putin’s rule, the most substantial since his ascent to power in 1999. Despite speculation about the possibility of the plane being shot down, Putin dismissed it, asserting that there was “no external impact” and that it was an established fact.

During a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin emphasized the discovery of hand grenade fragments in the victims’ bodies. He called for investigations into the cause of the crash, suggesting that alcohol and drug tests should have been conducted on the victims, citing past instances of cocaine found at Wagner offices.

The Russian President also revealed that the FSB security service discovered a significant amount of cash, totaling 10 billion roubles (£82.3m), and 5kg of cocaine in searches conducted at Wagner’s offices in St Petersburg. Despite Putin’s revelations, investigators have not publicly commented on the case, and Russia confirmed Prigozhin’s death through genetic tests without disclosing the specific cause.