Russia Federal Agency for Air Transport has initiated an investigation into the crash of an Embraer plane that happened in the Tver Region on Wednesday (Aug.23), according to Russia’s Tass news agency.
Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list of the crashed flight, but it wasn’t immediately clear if he was on board.
The business jet has 10 persons on board, including Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to the authorities.
Emergency response services told TASS that four bodies have been found. The plane reportedly caught fire after hitting the ground and burst into flames. It had been in flight less than 30 minutes.
“An investigation has been launched into an Embraer plane crash that occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin is among them,” Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation agency, was cited as saying by the state TASS news agency.
Reacting to the news,US national security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the possible death of Prigozhin would not be a surprise given his history with Putin.
“We have seen the reports” of the crash and if confirmed, “no-one should be surprised,” she said.
Prigozhin, whose private military force Wagner fought alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine, mounted a short-lived armed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in late June.
The Kremlin said he would be exiled to Belarus, and his fighters would either retire, follow him there, or join the Russian military.
