Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group, has been killed in a plane crash in Russia.
There were ten people on board, including three crew members and seven passengers, including Prigozhin. While preliminary reports indicated that eight bodies had been found at the crash site and that one person might have ejected from the plane. However, the Russian aviation authority, Rosaviation, has confirmed that all ten people on board were killed.
Rosaviation also reportedly confirmed that Prigozhin was among the passengers on the plane.
“Rosaviatsia confirmed it. Prigozhin was on board,” Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT (formerly Russia Today), posted on Facebook.
Prigozhin’s private jet shot down!
The Embraer Legacy 600 business jet with registration number RA-02795, which belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, was reportedly shot down by air defense fire from the Russian Ministry of Defense in the Bologovsky district of the Tver region.
Wagner-affiliated sources are suggesting that the plane was brought down by Russian air defenses. However, this has not been confirmed by official sources.
“There were seven people on board. Before the plane crash, local residents heard to two explosions, which is confirmed by contrails in the sky in one of the videos and directly by eyewitnesses” tweeted Lord Bebo.
Lord Bebo claims that soon after Prigozhin’s private jet was shot down, another plane belonging to Prigozhin turned around over the capital and headed back for the airport. The second jet, with tail number RA-02748, landed at Ostafyevo airport.
Prigozhin was a controversial figure who was known for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was also the owner of a number of businesses, including a catering company that provided food for the Russian military. However, he staged a failed mutiny in June. President Putin described the mutiny as treason.
“Earlier, a Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone reported that the jet was shot down by air defences in Tver region, north of Moscow” the BBC has reports.
“The bodies of 8 dead were found at the crash site of an Embraer plane in the Tver region, emergency services told RIA Novosti” tweeted Lord Bebo.
Prigozhin was in Mali earlier this week, where he was reportedly rallying the recruitment of new members for the Wagner Group. He had also been involved in the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
The death of Prigozhin is a significant development, as he was one of the most powerful figures in the Russian mercenary world. It remains to be seen what impact his death will have on the Wagner Group.
Meanwhile, the Federal Air Transport Agency has launched an investigation into the crash of the private jet.
“An investigation has been launched into the crash of the Embraer aircraft, which occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the list of passengers, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin,” reported TASS, the official Russian News Agency.
