Supporters of the Wagner mercenary group’s late leader Yevgeny Prigozhin have asked authorities in St. Petersburg to name a city street in his honor, the Ostorozhno Novosti news channel reported Monday, citing a letter addressed to the regional governor.
Prigozhin died in a plane crash in August, just months after mounting a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military leadership that was seen as the biggest challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s two-decade rule.
In a letter addressed to St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, a group of veterans asked for one of the city’s streets to be renamed in Prigozhin’s honor, while also calling for the erection of a monument dedicated to him.
“Yevgeny Viktorovich [Prigozhin] left an indelible mark on the country, evidenced by the high honors and awards bestowed to him in his lifetime,” read the letter, a screenshot of which was shared by Ostorozhno Novosti on the messaging app Telegram.
The letter, dated Dec. 18, was signed by Dmitry Podolsky, chairman of a St. Petersburg-based veterans’ organization that was previously headed by Prigozhin’s former aide Andrei Troshev.
The group said it had chosen to write directly to Beglov after being ignored by lower-level officials in the months since the late Wagner leader’s death.
Beglov’s office has not yet commented on the reported letter.
Wagner was disbanded this fall and its fighters have since been transferred to units under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry.
Prigozhin openly feuded with Beglov over his stalled development projects in St. Petersburg.