What is known about the crash of the Wagner leader's plane in Russia?

A business jet belonging to the leader of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, crashed in the Russian Tver region. The Russian terrorist was also among the passengers on the plane.

What is known about the plane crash in Russia and whether Prigozhin died - in the RBC-Ukraine article below.

What happened

On the evening of August 23, Russian Telegram channels posted videos of the plane crash in the Tver region. Initially, it was believed that a military plane had crashed, but later it turned out that the crash was an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet used by Prigozhin.

Almost immediately after the information about the crash was spread, Rosaviatsiya reported that the Wagnerite leader was among the passengers. This promptness surprised some Russian media outlets, as Rosaviatsiya usually confirms this at least a few hours after a crash.

Who was on board Prigozhin's plane:

• Sergey Propustin, a militant of the Wagner PMC;

• Yevgeniy Makaryan, a militant of the Wagner PMC;

• Alexander Totmin;

• Valery Chekalov, Prigozhin's deputy;

• Dmitry Utkin - commander of the Wagner PMC;

• Nikolai Matuseev;

• Yevgeniy Prigozhin - leader of the Wagner PMC.

The circumstances of the crash are currently unknown, but in the first videos of the crash, eyewitnesses said they heard two explosions, and some rejoiced at the "downed drone." Russian media speculated that the plane could have gone down because of a terrorist attack, but Russian law enforcement officials have now opened a case on the grounds of violating the rules of traffic safety and air transport operation.

Some Russian military commanders and propagandists have suggested that Prigozhin's plane could have been shot down by the Russian S-300 air defense system while flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

This could have been revenge from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for the Wagnerian rebellion and the failed march on Moscow.Is Prigozhin alive?

It is currently known that there were 10 people on board the plane (three crew members and seven passengers). According to Rosaviatsia, Prigozhin was supposed to be on board, but it is not yet known whether he was actually there.

However, the Russian public outlet Readovka, citing its own sources, reported that Prigozhin did die in the plane crash. The Grey Zone Telegram channel, which is close to the Wagner PMC's entourage, also announced Prigozhin's death, adding that it happened "as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia."And the Russian Tsargrad even claimed to have identified Prigozhin's body at the crash site. Allegedly, the body of his right-hand man, Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin, was found along with him.Officially, according to Russian media, 8 bodies were found at the crash site. It has not yet been said whose bodies were found, but Russian publicists noted that they were severely damaged, so genetic examination will be required.

One of the Russian propagandists also confirmed that Prigozhin returned to Russia today from Africa, where he recently recorded a video message criticizing the Russian military leadership and spoke about his plans for Africa.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 24/08/2023