Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, who was behind a failed rebellion against the Kremlin in June, is on the passenger list of a plane that crashed in Russia, according to Russian news agencies. The ten passengers have died, according to Russian authorities. However, it is unknown if he was on board.
Was Prigozhin on board the plane that crashed in Russia? According to the Ria Novosti, TASS, and Interfax news agencies, citing the Russian air transport agency Rossaviatsia, Prigozhin’s name is on the passenger manifest of the plane that was supposed to fly from Moscow to Saint Petersburg on August 23. But there is no confirmation that he was on board.
“There were 10 people on board, including 3 crew members. According to preliminary information, all the people on board have died,” the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said earlier on Telegram.
The private Embraer Legacy plane crashed near the village of Kujenkino in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow.
“The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations is conducting search operations,” it further stated.
Eight bodies have been found at the crash site, according to rescue services. The search is ongoing.
Russian media reported that Dmitry Outkine, the right-hand man of Prigozhin, was also on the plane, but this has not been confirmed yet. The two men were said to have traveled to Moscow for a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Defense.
Wagner boss Prigozhin and his right hand Dmitry Utkin have most likely died in a plane crash in the Tver region. Locals heard two explosions after which the plane fell down. Their bodies have reportedly been identified.
Wagner affiliated channels already confirm their deaths. pic.twitter.com/C4IsuM1MIp
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) August 23, 2023
No comments have been made so far by the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense.
Flight tracking data shows that shortly after the crash of this Embraer aircraft, a second private plane linked to Evgueni Prigozhin turned back towards Moscow while apparently heading towards Saint Petersburg, where Prigozhin‘s main residence is located.
Videos whose authenticity AFP could not confirm have been circulated on several Telegram channels claiming to be affiliated with Wagner, showing burning debris in a field or an aircraft falling from the sky.
On June 23, the Wagner rebellion
On June 23, Evgueni Prigojine was behind a rebellion directed against the Russian General Staff and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, led by his men, who briefly captured military sites in southern Russia before heading to Moscow.
Evgueni Prigojine quickly abandoned this mutiny, which took place during the conflict in Ukraine. It ended on the evening of June 24 with an agreement that provided for Prigojine’s departure to Belarus, while his fighters could join him there, enter the regular Russian army, or return to civilian life.
On August 21, he appeared in a video released by groups close to Wagner on social media, where he claimed to be in Africa. In a desert landscape, he said he was working to “make Russia even greater on all continents and Africa even freer.”
Many reactions
Even though the death of the Wagner leader has not been confirmed and it may take days to obtain autopsy results on the bodies, reactions are multiplying. In Ukraine, an advisor to President Zelensky referred to it as a “signal.” “The spectacular elimination of Prigojine and the Wagner command two months after their attempted coup is a signal from Putin to the Russian elites before the 2024 elections,” said Mykhailo Podoliak on X (formerly Twitter), adding that “Putin forgives no one.”
US President Joe Biden, in the Western mountains with his family, has been kept informed of the situation, according to the White House. “We have seen what has been reported. If confirmed, it would not be a surprise to anyone,” said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the National Security Council of the US executive.
With AFP