A private Embraer Legacy aircraft en route from Moscow to Saint Petersburg met with a devastating crash near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver Region. Among the ten passengers on board, including three crew members, was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the notable figure at the helm of the Wagner group. According to reports from Russia’s aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, the wreckage of the plane bore Prigozhin’s name among its passengers. Regrettably, the crash resulted in the loss of all lives on board, as confirmed by Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations.
Russian state-run news agencies, including TASS news agency, RIA Novosti, and Interfax, swiftly relayed the tragic incident. The crash occurred in the Tver Region, leading authorities to initiate search operations promptly. Although preliminary investigations have been underway, details regarding the cause of the crash remain scarce.
Footage purportedly depicting the aftermath of the crash surfaced on Telegram channels associated with the Wagner group. These videos show the plane’s wreckage engulfed in flames within a field. However, the authenticity of this footage could not be independently verified by sources, including AFP.
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s history is marked by his leadership role in the Wagner group, which led a brief uprising against Russia’s conventional army a few months prior. This insurrection involved a significant number of mercenaries who attempted to march from southern Russia to Moscow, with the intent of overthrowing the nation’s military leadership. Ultimately, the rebellion was quelled through negotiations brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. This accord stipulated Prigozhin’s relocation to neighboring Belarus along with a portion of his associates.
In the aftermath of the mutiny’s resolution, Prigozhin retained leadership of the Wagner group but largely remained out of the public eye. The crash of the private aircraft, in which he was tragically a passenger, has now cast a somber shadow on this tumultuous chapter of Russian history. As authorities continue to investigate the incident, questions remain about the circumstances leading up to the crash and its broader implications.
