Russian President Vladimir Putin says hand grenade fragments were found in the bodies of people who died in the Aug. 23 crash of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane.
Russia's Investigative Committee said genetic tests confirmed that the head of the mercenary force Wagner, who led a short-lived armed rebellion, and two of the group's leaders were on the plane.
The Kremlin is dismissing allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind the apparent death of Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, appeared on the passenger list of a business jet that crashed Wednesday in Russia. Beyond that, little is clear.
A jet from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed, killing all 10 people on board, officials said. Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list, officials said, but it wasn't clear if he was on board.
The Kremlin says the Russian leader met Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin and nearly three dozen of his mercenary commanders for talks in Moscow late last month.
That's in contrast to the deal worked out after the failed uprising last month. The Kremlin had said the Wagner group leader would be exiled to neighboring Belarus but would not face charges.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner private military contractor, made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for a rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as "Putin's Chef" because of his company's origins in the catering business, now fields a mercenary army of 50,000. Its role in Ukraine is central to Russia's war effort.
Entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted Monday that he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue to do so — confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years.
