Wagner boss Prigozhin killed in plane crash in Russia

Russian mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was aboard the plane that crashed north of Moscow, killing everyone on board, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency.

Russia’s federal air transport agency Rosaviatsia published the names of seven passengers — including Prigozhin and Wagner group commander Dmitry Utkin — and three crew members it said died in Wednesday’s crash.

“There were 10 people on board, including three crew members. According to preliminary information, all those on board died,” Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations said shortly before.

At about 17:00 GMT, the ministry announced that a “private Embraer Legacy aircraft travelling from Moscow to Saint Petersburg crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver Region”, some 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of the capital.

Officials have since said the ministry conducted search operations and recovered the remains of those aboard. Video has also emerged, allegedly showing the Embraer jet plummeting from the sky. Authorities are investigating potential theories for what could have caused the crash, from technical problems and mistakes by crew members to explosions onboard the jet.

In the more than 20 years that the jet model has been in service, the news outlet Reuters said that only one previous crash has been recorded, an incident in 2006 that was attributed to mistakes by the crew. 

Daniel Hawkins, a journalist in Moscow, told Al Jazeera that “reports in the Russian media, unconfirmed so far, are saying this aircraft could have been taken down by air defence systems”.

“Prigozhin was among those on board or was at least listed as among those people on board.

“Some journalists report they’re in touch with his press secretary who is refusing to confirm that. A second jet was also in the air that’s turned around and gone back to St Petersburg.”

source: Aljazeera