The statue depicts Prigozhin in bulletproof gear holding a walkie-talkie alongside his associate, Dmitry Utkin, who is portrayed with an AK-47 rifle. Both men, key figures in the Wagner Group, died in a plane crash last year.
Prigozhin’s Operations in CAR
The Wagner Group has operated in CAR since 2018, following an invitation from President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to assist in combating rebel factions.
President Touadéra justified Wagner’s presence in the Central African Republic (CAR) by citing the need to address threats posed by armed groups and terrorists in the country
“It was said that 80% of the territory was occupied by armed groups. Today, thanks to this cooperation, these figures are completely reversed,” he told the BBC
The BBC reports that the national police of the Central African Republic (CAR) has stated that the newly unveiled monument of Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin is “part of the bilateral relationship” between CAR and Russia.
The unveiling ceremony, which took place in the capital Bangui, was attended by Defence Minister Rameau Claude Bireau and several senior military officials.
Wagner’s fallout with Russia
About two months after staging a brief mutiny against Russia’s military, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private plane was reportedly shot down.
The mutiny saw Prigozhin leading Wagner mercenaries from Ukraine toward Moscow, an act condemned by President Vladimir Putin as “treason,” with promises of retribution for those involved.
Social media accounts linked to Wagner suggested the plane was downed by Russian air defences.
Russian authorities later confirmed Prigozhin’s death, affirming that he was among those killed in the crash, ending speculation about the mercenary leader’s fate.
Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, stated that genetic testing on the 10 bodies retrieved from the crash site confirmed their identities, matching the names listed on the flight manifest.
In his first comments on the cause of the crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the plane was blown up from the inside.
He stated that the head of Russia’s investigative committee had reported to him that fragments of hand grenades were found among the bodies of those killed in the crash.
