Mercenary leader Prigozhin was on crashed plane, Russian agency says

23 August 2023, 23:14

Russia Jet Crash Wagner Chief
Russia Jet Crash Wagner Chief. Picture: PA

The private jet crashed en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, north of the Russian capital.

Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military earlier this year, was on board a plane that crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency.

The crash immediately raised suspicions since the fate of the founder of the Wagner private military company has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted the mutiny.

At the time, President Vladimir Putin denounced the rebellion as “treason” and a “stab in the back” and vowed to avenge it.

But the charges against Prigozhin were soon dropped.

The Wagner chief, whose troops were some of the best fighting forces for Russia in Ukraine, was allowed to retreat to Belarus, while reportedly popping up in Russia from time to time.

The crash also comes after Russian media reported that a top general linked to Prigozhin was dismissed from his position as commander of the air force.

Russia Jet Crash Wagner Chief
Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the plane, Russia’s civil aviation agency said (Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool/AP)

A plane carrying three pilots and seven passengers that was en route from Moscow to St Petersburg went down almost 185 miles north of the capital, according to officials cited by Russia’s state news agency Tass.

Russia’s civilian aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, quickly reported that he was on the manifest and later said that, according to the airline, he was indeed on board.

Earlier, Vladimir Rogov, a Russia-appointed official in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine, said he talked to Wagner commanders who also confirmed that Prigozhin was on board, as was Dmitry Utkin, whose call sign Wagner became the company’s name.

“I don’t know for a fact what happened but I’m not surprised,” US President Joe Biden said.

Russia Jet Crash Wagner Chief
The crash site burns (Ostorozhno Novosti/AP)

Keir Giles, a Russia expert with the international affairs think-tank Chatham House, had urged caution about reports of Prigozhin’s death.

He said “multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeny Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels”.

“Let’s not be surprised if he pops up shortly in a new video from Africa,” Mr Giles said.

Flight tracking data reviewed by The Associated Press showed a private jet that Prigozhin had used previously took off from Moscow on Wednesday and its transponder signal disappeared minutes later.

The signal stopped suddenly while the plane was at altitude and travelling at speed.

In an image posted by a pro-Wagner social media account showing burning wreckage, a partial tail number matching a jet previously used by Prigozhin could be seen.

Russia Jet Crash Wagner Chief
Plane wreckage falls near the village of Kuzhenkino (Ostorozhno Novosti/AP)

Videos shared by the pro-Wagner Telegram channel Grey Zone showed a plane dropping like a stone from a large cloud of smoke, twisting widely as it falls.

Such freefalls can occur when an aircraft sustains severe damage, and a frame-by-frame analysis by The AP of two videos were consistent with some sort of explosion mid-flight. The images appeared to show the plane is missing a wing.

Russia’s Investigative Committee opened an investigation into the crash on charges of violating air safety rules.

Even if confirmed, Prigozhin’s death is unlikely to have an effect on Russia’s war in Ukraine, where his forces fought some of the fiercest battles over the last 18 months.

His troops pulled back from front-line action after capturing Bakhmut, a city in the eastern Donetsk region, in late May.

Russia Jet Crash Wagner Chief
All ten people on board were killed (Ostorozhno Novosti/AP)

Bakhmut had been the subject of arguably the bloodiest battles in the entire war, with the Russian forces struggling to seize it for months.

After the rebellion, Russian officials said his fighters would only be able to return to Ukraine as part of the regular army.

This week, Prigozhin posted his first recruitment video since the mutiny, saying that Wagner is conducting reconnaissance and search activities, and “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free”.

Also this week, Russian media reported, citing anonymous sources, that General Sergei Surovikin was dismissed from his position of the commander of Russia’s air force.

Surovikin, who at one point led Russia’s operation in Ukraine, has not been seen in public since the mutiny, when he recorded a video address urging Prigozhin’s forces to pull back.

As news of the crash was breaking, Mr Putin spoke at an event commemorating the Battle of Kursk, hailing the heroes of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Hundreds of people died in the devastating flooding in Spain

British man who survived Valencia floods describes hearing his neighbours’ horrifying final screams before they died

Live
US Presidential Election 2024 LIVE: Millions of Americans head to the polls as election day arrives

US Presidential Election 2024 LIVE: Millions of Americans head to the polls in the final race for the White House

Kris Finney has been missing since Thursday

British man missing in Tenerife not seen for three days as Foreign Office issues statement

Barcelona issued with 'extreme danger' flood warning - as fresh rain leaves airport submerged and flights cancelled

Barcelona issued with 'extreme danger' flood warning - as fresh rain leaves airport submerged and flights cancelled

Coco Gauff performs in front of a small crowd at the WTA finals in Saudia Arabia

Tim Henman hits out at ‘disappointing’ crowd after 400 watch women’s finals in Saudi Arabia

Dr Florian Willet, president of Sarco operator The Last Resort, and the suicide pod

First person to use Sarco 'suicide pod' heard three chilling words before death

A British couple were found dead in their car as floods devastated parts of Spain

British couple missing in Spain floods found dead in car after 'popping out' to buy gas

Meredith Kercher's family blast 'lack of sensitivity' over Disney-backed Amanda Knox drama

Amanda Knox accused of 'profiting from murder' by Meredith Kercher's family over Disney-backed trial drama

Kamala Harris moves key rally over Secret Service safety concerns as White House race enters final 24 hours

Kamala Harris moves key rally over Secret Service safety concerns as White House race enters final 24 hours

Former President Trump and Vice President Harris make final pitches

Harris and Trump make closing pitches with two days to election

The Israeli military has said it carried out its first ground operation into Syria - as it announced it had captured a man who has links to Iran (stock images)

IDF confirms first ground operation into Syria of war - and says it has seized a man 'with links to Iran'

Iranian authorities have arrested a woman who was filmed stripping down to her underwear to protest harassment by the regime's morality police.

Iran arrests woman who stripped to underwear to protest morality police harassed over 'improper hijab'

King Felipe

King of Spain and Queen Letizia pelted with mud as angry crowds heckle royals during visit to flash flooded Valencia

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-POLITICS-EARLY VOTING

Key swing states to watch out for in the 2024 US Election – and why they matter

Donald Trump brands Kamala Harris a 'low IQ person' during Salem rally

Donald Trump brands Kamala Harris a 'low IQ person' during Salem rally

'I've got one vote, I'm going to use it': Harrison Ford backs Kamala Harris in rare presidential endorsement

'I've got one vote, I'm going to use it': Harrison Ford backs Kamala Harris in rare presidential endorsement