VIDEO: Russian Rebel Leader Who Defied Putin Among Victims in Plane Crash

Russian Mercenary Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Listed as Passenger‍ on Crashed Private Jet

The Russian authorities have confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin,‍ the chief​ of a Russian ​mercenary group,⁢ was listed as a passenger⁤ on a private jet that crashed north ⁤of Moscow on Wednesday evening. However, it is yet ‍to be confirmed if Prigozhin was ‌physically on board the ⁣aircraft.

“An investigation has been launched into an Embraer plane crash that occurred​ tonight ‍in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin is among them,” Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation‌ agency, was cited as saying by the state TASS ⁤news agency.

The private Embraer ‍Legacy aircraft was‌ traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg ‌when it crashed near ⁢the village of ⁣Kuzhenkino in the Tver Region. The Russia’s ⁢emergency situations ministry stated that there were 10 people on ‌board, including ⁤3 crew members, and preliminary information suggests that there were no survivors.

Prigozhin’s Controversial Background

Yevgeny‍ Prigozhin, aged⁤ 62, recently led⁣ a​ mutiny against Russia’s top army ⁣brass, a move that President Vladimir Putin warned ​could have pushed the country into civil war. The‌ mutiny was eventually resolved through negotiations and a deal that saw Prigozhin agreeing to relocate ‍to neighboring Belarus. However, he has been‌ seen freely moving within Russia since then.

Just days ago, Prigozhin posted a video address, seemingly⁤ shot in Africa, where he continued⁤ to express his opposition to Defense Minister⁢ Sergei Shoigu‍ and​ Valery Gerasimov, the‌ chief of the general staff.

(Reporting ​by Reuters;​ editing by Andrew Osborn)