Zelensky says ‘Russian society has raised a second Hitler’ in attack on Putin
Dozens of mourners hailed Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prighozin as a “patriot” who defended Russian interests abroad.
At his grave in St Petersburg, his mother, Violetta, and his son, Pavel, laid flowers. Supporters waved the black flags of Wagner which sport a skull and the motto “Blood, Honour, Motherland, Courage”.
“He can be criticized for certain events, but he was a patriot who defended the motherland’s interests on different continents,” Wagner’s recruitment arm said in a statement on Telegram.
It comes as Russia’s former leader Dmitry Medvedev warned Moscow could annex more of Ukraine a year on from when they first claimed Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
”The special military operation will continue until the complete destruction of the Nazi regime in Kyiv. Victory will be ours. And there will be more new regions within Russia,” Mr Medvedev said.
The four regions remain occupied by Moscow but it does not have complete control of any of the regions as Russian troops face Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
