Russia’s Wagner Group Chief Allegedly Dies in Private Jet Crash Near Moscow

Chief ‍of ⁤Russia’s Wagner Group Reportedly Killed in Private Jet Crash North of Moscow

A‍ private jet crashed in⁤ Russia on Wednesday, ⁢killing all 10 people ‍aboard, emergency officials said.

Mercenary ⁣chief Yevgeny​ Prigozhin was on the passenger list, but it wasn’t⁢ immediately clear if he was ⁤on board.

Prigozhin’s fate has been the subject of intense ‍speculation ever since he mounted a ⁣short-lived mutiny against Russia’s‍ military ⁢leadership‌ in late June.

The Kremlin said ‌the⁣ founder of the Wagner private military⁤ company, which fought‌ alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine, would be⁣ exiled to Belarus.

But‍ the mercenary chief ⁤ has since⁤ reportedly popped up in ‍Russia, leading to further⁤ questions about ‌his future.

A plane carrying three pilots and seven ⁤passengers that was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg went down more than 60 miles north of⁢ the capital, according to officials cited​ by Russia’s state‍ news⁢ agency Tass.

It was not clear if Prigozhin was⁢ among ‍those on board, though Russia’s civilian ⁢aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia, said he was ⁢on the‌ manifest.

Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti⁤ reported, citing ​emergency officials, that eight bodies were found at the ​site‌ of the crash.

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

The signal was​ lost in⁢ a rural region with no nearby airfields where the jet could have landed safely.

In⁤ an image posted by a pro-Wagner social media account showing burning⁣ wreckage, a partial ⁣tail ‍number ⁢matching a private jet belonging to the company could‌ be seen.

A private jet belonging to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ‍has crashed with all⁢ passengers and crew reportedly dying ⁣upon impact. #Prigozhin #Wagner pic.twitter.com/qWudAUcn1d

— Paul Golding ⁢(@GoldingBF) ⁣ August 23, 2023

The ​color and placement of the number on the⁤ engine ​of ‌the crashed plane⁢ matches prior photos of the Wagner jet examined by‌ The⁢ AP.

Wameangusha Private jet ya Yevgeny Prigozhin?
Dude⁣ only had one chance to take power but he decided to ⁤play nice with Mzee Putin ⁣(a‍ man who⁤ sends radioactive packages‍ to old friends in London)⁢ pic.twitter.com/5VOVPal4IP

— khalif kairo⁢ (@KhalifKairo) ‍ August 23, 2023

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 a top Russian general linked to Prigozhin — Gen. 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,​ hasn’t been seen in public since the mutiny, when he recorded a video address urging Prigozhin’s forces to pull back.

As the news about the crash was ⁢breaking, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at an event commemorating the Battle of Kursk, hailing the heroes of Russia’s “special military operation” ⁢in Ukraine.

The Western Journal ‌has reviewed⁤ this Associated Press story and may have altered ⁢it ​prior to publication to ⁣ensure that it meets ‌our editorial standards.

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