RUSSIA: On Wednesday, Russian state-run media reported that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group that instigated a mutiny against the Russian army in June, was listed as a passenger on a plane that crashed.
Rosaviatsia (Russia’s aviation agency) stated that Yevgeny Prigozhin was a passenger on the aircraft that crashed in the Tver Region, according to a Russian news agency.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations had earlier stated that there were 3 crew members among the 10 passengers. Initial reports indicate that everyone on board died, as per Russia.
A private Embraer Legacy aircraft that was flying from Moscow to Saint Petersburg at around 1700 GMT crashed close to the town of Kuzhenkino in the Tver Region, according to the ministry. It stated that search activities were being carried out.
Videos of the plane’s wreckage burning in a field were uploaded on Telegram accounts connected to Wagner, but the AFP was unable to independently verify them.
Prior to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, Prigozhin mostly operated in the background.
In June, Prigozhin organised a brief uprising against the Russian regular army in which tens of thousands of hired guns marched from southern Russia to Moscow with the intention of overthrowing the military authorities.
The rebellion concluded through an agreement facilitated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, stipulating Prigozhin’s relocation to neighbouring Belarus along with some of his men.
Since then, he has steadfastly refused to relinquish control of Wagner and has largely avoided the spotlight.
On Monday, a video surfaced depicting him in Africa, which he pledged to make “freer.”
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