Wagner chief believed to be dead after plane crash

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is believed to be dead after a plane crash in Russia.

According to Russia's civil aviation authority, Prigozhin was on the passenger list of the plane which crashed, killing all 10 people on board.

The plane was flying from Moscow to St Petersburg, with seven passengers and three crew. It is believed the plane came down halfway between the two cities, near the village of Kuzhenkino.

It has also been reported that Senior Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin was also on the passenger list. Utkin founded the group in 2014.

In June, Prigozhin led an attempted coup, which ended within 24 hours. Following the mutiny, a deal was struck, where Wagner troops were able to move to Belarus or join the Russian army. Prigozhin's location has been largely unknown since then. The group has had a presence in Ukraine, Syria and west Africa. Prigozhin recently posted a video message, his first since the attempted coup, believed to have been shot in Africa, where he called for recruits for the Wagner Group.

The BBC reported that Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone has claimed that the plane was shot down by the military. This has not been confirmed.

Neither Putin nor the Kremlin have commented on the crash.

Image: УлПравда ТВ via Wikimedia Commons