Now share. this photograph here, i think probably one of the last ones of prigozhin, and it says in russian, in this helm, he was the best. speaking about him in the past tense. some people have laid patches, wagner mercenary group patches, from the side of their uniforms because a lot of people that are paying their respects here today are either members of wagner or they re families of members of wagner. the organization is known for its cruelty, and this hammer here it s very heavy. pick it up. it s got wagner written on it. look, it s become a potent symbol of just how ruthless wagner was because it was with a tool like this that they executed someone they regarded as a traitor, and they filmed it happen. absolutely gruesome. but that video consolidated
Russian authorities say they now have the flight recorders from the plane that crashed, killing wagner mercenary leader, yevgeny prigozhin. the british defense ministry today said it is, quote, highly likely prigozhin was aboard and is dead. that follows a similar assessment from the pentagon. these developments come two days after the plane fell from the sky at reportedly 8,000 feet per minute before the crash. u.s. officials say there is no indication a missile hit the plane but that they are evaluating other possibilities, including an on board explosion that might have caused the crash. in a report you ll see only on cnn, our matthew chance has made his way to st. petersburg in russia tonight, home of wagner headquarters, hearing from supporters of vladimir putin s
One-time ally. reporter: shocked, if not surprised, supporters of wagner s mercenary leader have been paying their respects. laying flowers and lighting candles at makeshift memorials across the country. for all his violence and often foul-mouthed leadership, yevgeny prigozhin struck a chord, especially with people like daria in st. petersburg who told me how strong and interesting she found his personality. he always stood up for his fighters, she said, in the special military operation, what russia calls the conflict in ukraine. are you sad that he is gone? [ speaking in a non-english language ] they were so vile to him, she answers. it s a bitterness many russians
Of defendants and mug shots may be over, but the cases and fallout have only begun, including new developments late today. also tonight, the 6 3 , 215 pound blonde or strawberry hair defendant s newfound place in the story of mug shots. level support in russia for the wagner mercenary army and yevgeny prigozhin. john berman here in for anderson. first in tonight, a string of new developments in georgia s rico case against the former president and 18 others, all of which we will talk about tonight. there is election lawyer, sidney powell, in a court filing late today joining codefendant kenneth chesebro in requesting a speedy trial. also today, a court filing from codefendant and fake elector kathy latham joining two others in claiming she was following the advice of the former president s legal counsel and acting, quote, at the direction of the president of the united states. it is a striking admission but
Wagner s image as a ruthless, hyperviolent organization that would do anything to protect the motherland. [ crowd chanting ]. reporter: even staged that dramatic uprising in june, mar marching troops towards moscow. many russians suspect prigozhin s presumed dead and this plane crash was cold hearted revenge. but the kremlin denies involvement. few urussians dare say otherwis, at least publicly. [ speaking in a non-english language ] reporter: some of my closest friends are wagner, says this man, who asked us to hide his identity at the memorial. they re just russian people, he tells me, who thought they were doing the right thing. they can t talk for prigozhin, he adds. who do you think is responsible for his death? who killed him?