Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, a private military company, was listed as a passenger on a jet that tragically crashed, resulting in the loss of all lives aboard, according to Russia’s civil aviation authority.
Reports from the Wagner-associated Telegram channel Grey Zone initially suggested that the Embraer aircraft had been downed by air defenses in the Tver region, situated to the north of Moscow.
The private jet was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg and carried a total of seven passengers and three crew members.
Earlier in June, Prigozhin had led an unsuccessful rebellion against the Russian armed forces.
According to Grey Zone, local residents reported hearing two explosions prior to the crash and witnessed two vapor trails.
Tass news agency disclosed that the aircraft, identified as an Embraer Legacy owned by Prigozhin, caught fire upon impact with the ground. The incident occurred less than thirty minutes after takeoff.
An inquiry into the crash has been initiated, and emergency services are currently conducting search and recovery operations at the site.
Another news agency, Ria, reported that eight bodies had been retrieved.
Grey Zone also conveyed that a second business jet owned by Prigozhin landed without incident in the Moscow region.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the private military group Wagner, which operated in conjunction with Russia’s regular armed forces in Ukraine, undertook a brief armed rebellion against Russia’s military leadership in late June. Following this incident, the Kremlin announced that Prigozhin would be exiled to Belarus, and his fighters would have the choice of retiring, accompanying him to Belarus, or joining the Russian military.
Subsequently, Wagner operatives established a base in Belarus, but media reports suggest that Prigozhin’s plane was frequently shuttling between Belarus and Russia.
In recent days, Prigozhin released his first recruitment video following the mutiny. In the video, he highlighted that Wagner is involved in reconnaissance and search operations while contributing to the enhancement of Russia’s influence across various continents, including Africa, with the goal of promoting increased freedom in the region.