Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was among passengers on a private plane which crashed in the Tver Oblast, northwest of Moscow, on Wednesday, according to the Russian authorities.
All ten people on board the aircraft died in the crash, according to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. RIA Novosti reported that emergency services said that eight bodies were found at the crash site.
The plane was on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Бізнес-джет упав у Тверській області Россі, усі 7 осіб, що були на борту, загинули, пишуть російські Telegram-канали. Пишуть, що цей літак належав Пригожину pic.twitter.com/kzb8GLB6Fu
— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) August 23, 2023
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on the aircraft, although it remains unconfirmed if he was on the plane when it crashed. Initial reports by Russia media indicated that Dmitry Utkin, a high-ranking commander in the Wagner Group close to Prigozhin, was killed in the crash as well.
Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group’s pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO)Russian journalist Andrey Zakharov stated on his Telegram channel that Prigozhin flew today from Africa to Russia and was being accompanied by the entire command staff of the Wagner Group.
Vladimir Rogov, an administrator for Russia in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, stated on Telegram that he had spoken with Wagner members who confirmed that Prigozhin and Utkin had been killed in the crash.
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the plane crash, the White House told US media. White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson posted on X on Wednesday evening “We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised.”
We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised. https://t.co/V81y3P8hzI
— Adrienne Watson (@NSC_Spox) August 23, 2023
Prigozin’s failed mutiny
In June, Prigozhin was exiled from Russia to Belarus as part of a deal reached after a mutiny by the Wagner Group against the Russian military during which members of the militia briefly captured the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and then marched towards Moscow.
In July, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that Prigozhin had moved to St. Petersburg in Russia and may have moved on to Moscow.
On Monday, a video was published on social media showing a person appearing to be Prigozhin in a desert-like area saying “Wagner is conducting reconnaissance and search operations, making Russia even greater on every continent — and Africa even more free.” Prigozhin added in the video that he was hiring “real strong men.”
It is unclear when and where exactly the video was filmed.
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