Rumors of Prigozhin's 'Survival' Circulating Inside and Outside Russia... "Possibility of a Staged Act"

"May Not Have Boarded" Various Conspiracy Theories
Unclear Cause of Crash... Ground Impact in 30 Seconds

Despite Russian authorities announcing that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, died in a private plane crash, rumors continue to circulate both inside and outside Russia that he may have survived, fueling various conspiracy theories. Since only one of the two private planes crashed and the cause of the crash remains unclear, some speculate that it could have been a staged event.

On the 23rd (local time), the wing of Yevgeny Prigozhin's private plane that crashed in the Tver region west of Moscow while heading to Saint Petersburg from Moscow. [Image source=Reuters·Yonhap News]

On the 23rd (local time), the UK’s Sky News reported that some experts are raising the possibility that Prigozhin survived. Kier Giles, a Russia expert at the UK think tank Chatham House, told Sky News, "Russian authorities have not explicitly confirmed his death yet," adding, "It is difficult to definitively conclude his death based solely on the passenger list of the crashed plane, and there is a possibility that he could post new videos from Africa to show he is still alive."

Earlier, according to TASS news agency, Russian disaster management authorities stated, "An Embraer Legacy jet en route from Moscow to Saint Petersburg crashed near Kuzhenkino in Tver Oblast," adding, "Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin were on board. All 10 passengers died." Utkin is one of Prigozhin’s closest aides and a co-founder of the Wagner Group.

The Wagner Group claimed that Prigozhin died when his private plane was shot down by Russian military air defenses. The Wagner Group’s Telegram channel, Grayzone, initially suggested the possibility of Prigozhin’s survival by stating, "Two Wagner Group private planes were flying simultaneously, and when one crashed, the other returned to Moscow Ostafyevo Airport." However, it later confirmed Prigozhin’s death, stating, "The Russian military’s air defense shot down the Wagner Group’s private plane."

On the 23rd (local time), a private plane carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin crashed. The Grayzone, the Wagner Group's Telegram channel, released the footage. [Image source=UPI·Yonhap News]

The cause of the crash of Prigozhin’s private plane has not yet been definitively determined. According to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the private plane was an Embraer Legacy 600 jet, which was flying normally before suddenly crashing. The aircraft’s fuselage plunged from an altitude of 8.5 km to 2.4 km in less than 30 seconds. The plane began shaking around 6:11 p.m. and crashed just nine minutes later, losing all signals.

Within Russia, theories have emerged that Prigozhin’s plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, while other speculations include sudden electronic interference during the flight or mechanical failure due to poor maintenance. Various conspiracy theories are spreading alongside these, suggesting that Prigozhin did not actually die in the unexplained crash but staged the incident to escape surveillance by the Putin regime.

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