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Wagner-linked media has reported that its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been killed in a private jet crash and blamed Russia for the jet’s downing. However, verification is proving difficult.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the mercenary Wagner Group, was on the passenger list of a business jet that crashed in Russia on Wednesday, according to Russian aviation authorities.
All 10 people on board were killed in the crash.
It was not immediately clear if Prigozhin was indeed on the plane at the time. Unconfirmed reports said the jet belonged to the Wagner chief.
“An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin,” said Rosaviatsia, the Russian civil aviation authority.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the mercenary Wagner Group, was on the business jet that crashed in Russia on Wednesday, Wagner-linked media said. Russian aviation sources had confirmed that the mercenary leader was on the list of passengers on board the flight.
All 10 people on board — including three crew members — were killed in the crash. Eight bodies were found at the crash site following the first investigations, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
It was not immediately clear if Prigozhin was indeed on the plane at the time when news of the plane crash was reported by Russian authorities. Unconfirmed reports said the jet belonged to the Wagner chief.
Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel Grey Zone confirmed his death, calling Prigozhin a hero and a patriot. The post also claimed he had died at the hands of unidentified people it called “traitors to Russia.”
“An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin,” said Rosaviatsia, the Russian civil aviation authority, on the plane’s crashing.
The jet was reportedly en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg when it crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in Tver, a region over 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Russian capital.
Russian officials: Prigozhin killed in plane crash
“It may well be that this crash was not a tragic accident,” said DW Russia bureau chief Juri Rescheto. “He became very important for the Kremlin. He became so powerful he was extremely inconvenient and dared to publicly and loudly doubt the sense of the war in Ukraine.”
If his death is confirmed, “I can imagine that the Wagner Group will no longer exist as a fighting force,” Rescheto said.
There have been many questions about his whereabouts since he led his mercenary soldiers on a short-lived mutiny against Moscow on June 23.
A video, allegedly of Prigozhin, was released just two days ago on Telegram and appeared to show him in Africa. It would be his first video since the abandoned mutiny.
White House: Prigozhin’s death ‘no surprise’
The White House also acknowledged the news and President Joe Biden spoke with reporters candidly on the matter as he was leaving a fitness studio, while on vacation.
“I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised,” Biden said, adding “there’s not much that happens in Russia that (President) Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukrainian presidential adviser, reacted to the news on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, saying it was “obvious” Putin would make an example of Prigozhin.
“The demonstrative elimination of Prigozhin and the Wagner command two months after the coup attempt is a signal from Putin to Russia’s elites ahead of the 2024 elections,” Podolyak added.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on state news channel TVP Info said Prigozhin’s death could not be a coincidence. “It so happens that political opponents whom Vladimir Putin considers a threat to his power do not die naturally,” he added.
“If true, it shows Putin will eliminate opponents and that scares anyone who is thinking of expressing an opinion different than his,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told CNN.
Prigozhin releases first video since rebellion
Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?
Wagner forces were involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, having played a key role in the battle for Bakhmut. However, disputes between the mercenary group and the official Russian army built up until Prigozhin decided to pull his troops out of Ukraine and march on Moscow, taking the key city of Rostov-on-Don in the process.
The 62-year-old had railed against Russia’s military leadership in the months beforehand, verbally attacking Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov in particular. He complained about a lack of supplies for his forces and eventually said that Russian forces had fired on Wagner mercenaries.
The rebellion was brought to an end following negotiations mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and the agreement that the mercenary leader would go to Belarus with his forces. However, conflicting reports suggested that he had at least left Belarus shortly afterward.
Prigozhin led short-lived mutiny against Putin
Prior to that, Prigozhin had been a key ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, having once served as his private caterer. He used his position to launch numerous businesses, including the Wagner Group.
His open challenge to the Kremlin and Putin’s rule was one of the greatest since Putin first came to power over 20 years ago.
ab/sms (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)