Mercenary leader possibly among those killed in plane crash in Russia
It was widely speculated that the days of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin were numbered after an aborted coup in June. Now there’s speculation that he may be among those killed on a plane that crashed in Kuzhenkino, Russia.
At presstime, the most extensive reportage of the crash comes from Reuters via the BBC, where footage shows the plane, which Prigozhin owns, spiraling from the sky after an apparent explosion. According to early reports, Prigozhin’s name is on the passenger list, although there’s no conclusive evidence that he was actually on the plane.
Thus far, a Russian news agency reports that four bodies have been taken from the fiery crash. According to the passenger list, 10 were aboard the plane, which was en route from Moscow and possibly St. Petersburg, a frequent pattern of flight.
None of the social media accounts believed to be linked to Prigozhin have so far made any claims about whether he is dead or alive. Some are saying that another business jet owned by him was also in the air at the time of the crash, also having departed Moscow.
Several experts on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, suggested that Prigozhin, 62, who was allied with Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, broke with Putin on a number of former agreements, including pay and military strategy. Many conclude that those issues precipitated the coup attempt that was halted once the forces and its leaders realized they would be slaughtered.
CNN, which showed footage of the plane falling from the sky, said it could confirm the authenticity of the video, but RIA Novosti claimed it was the moment that an Embraer jet fell from the sky in the Tver region of Russia.
President Biden, back in the White House after a visit to Hawaii, has been briefed about the incident but had released no comments at presstime for this issue.
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