"Prigozhin Included in Passenger List of Russian Crash...10 Dead"

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private military company Wagner Group, which had launched an armed rebellion, is believed to have died in a plane crash on the 23rd (local time), according to Russian state media TASS and others.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Russian disaster authorities stated on the same day, "An Embraer Legacy jet flying from Moscow to Saint Petersburg crashed near Kuzhenkino in the Tver region," adding, "Preliminary investigations suggest that all 10 people on board, including 3 crew members, are presumed dead." The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia confirmed, "Prigozhin's name is included on the passenger list." TASS reported, "Prigozhin appears to be a victim of this accident," and added, "So far, four bodies have been recovered. There are no survivors."

The Russian aviation authorities have immediately launched an investigation into the crash. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether Prigozhin was actually on board the aircraft. Major Western media outlets are focusing on the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin has historically eliminated political opponents, including opposition leaders who challenged him, by various means, raising the possibility that Prigozhin, who led the armed rebellion, was removed. Some local media also reported that Dmitry Utkin, a close associate of Prigozhin, was on the plane along with him.

Prigozhin was the head of the Wagner Group, a mercenary company that attempted an armed rebellion at the end of June. However, he halted the rebellion under the condition that he would not be punished and would be allowed to go into exile in Belarus. Since then, he was seen traveling back and forth between Belarus and Russia several times. On the 21st, he posted on Telegram a photo of himself in camouflage clothing holding a rifle in the desert, stating, "The Wagner private military company makes Russia greater on every continent and makes Africa freer."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.