Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has reportedly died in a Plane crash around the Tver region, north of Moscow alongside other six passengers and three crew members on board. Yevgeny Prigozhinwas on the passenger list of a jet which was flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg according to Russia’s civil aviation authority.
Earlier, a Telegram channel linked to Wagner called Grey Zone reported that the aircraft in which the Wagner leader was flying in, an Embraer aircraft, was shot down by air defences in the Tver region, north of Moscow. This claim has not been verified by Moscow authorities.
In June, the Wagner Boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against the Russian armed forces in June. He orchestrated the daring mutiny moving his troops from Ukraine, seizing the southern Russian city of Rostov on Don, and threatening to march on Moscow.
The confrontation came after months of tension with Russian military commanders on issues bordering on the Ukraine war. The stand-off was settled by a deal which allowed Wagner troops to move to Belarus, or join the Russian army.
Prigozhin himself agreed to relocate to Belarus but was obviously allowed to move freely with confirmed appearances in Russia including in Kremlin. The Wagner Boss was also reportedly visiting Africa.
It is unclear what was the cause of the plane crash at this moment but speculations from several quarters including from Wagner-affiliated telegram channels suggest the crash was a strike. Grey Zone said local residents heard two bangs before the crash and saw two vapour trails – a clear suggestion of a missile strike.