Topline
Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed in a plane crash Wednesday north of Moscow, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency confirmed to state-media RIA News.
Yevgeny Prigozhin was reportedly aboard a plane that crashed Tuesday.
Key Facts
Prigozhin, who was confirmed dead Wednesday afternoon, was among the individuals listed on the plane’s passenger list, though it was initially unclear if he definitely boarded the flight.
The plane, which was flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg, was carrying three pilots and seven passengers when it crashed 60 miles north of Moscow, Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reported.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has launched an investigation into the crash, which happened in the Tver region of Russia, state-media RIA News posted on Telegram.
President Joe Biden—who was briefed on the plane crash earlier in the day according to the White House—told reporters, “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind but I don’t know enough to know the answer.”
Key Background
Tensions have remained high between one-time allies Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin since the Wagner Group chief led a surprise rebellion in June. After the Wagner Group claimed control over military facilities in a couple of Russian cities, armed troops marched toward Moscow, but before they made it to the capital city, Putin and Prigozhin agreed to call off the fight. A former convict-turned-restaurateur, Prigozhin was first introduced to Putin in the 1990s and became known as “Putin’s chef” as his catering business earned contracts with the Russian government. In 2014, Prigozhin founded the mercenary firm the Wagner Group, though he repeatedly denied running the group until last year. During his tenure, the group, which includes an army of more than 25,000 soldiers, reportedly helped Moscow in the annexation of Crimea. In addition, Wagner sought out numerous security contracts with African governments for commercial and geopolitical reasons. These contracts have reportedly generated millions of dollars, but Wagner operatives also been accused of a plethora of human rights violations including torture, murder and rape in many of the African countries where they control natural resources.
Tangent
Prigozhin’s whereabouts since the conflict with Putin have been unclear. Initially, he agreed to go to Belarus after the rebellion, but he purportedly traveled back to Russia weeks later. Earlier this week, Wagner’s Telegram account posted Prigozhin’s first video since the June rebellion. In the video, Prigozhin said he would focus his efforts on making Africa more free. “We’re making life a nightmare for ISIS and Al-Qaeda and other bandits,” Prigozhin said, according to an Al Jazeera translation of the video.
Further Reading
Business jet crash in Russia kills 10, officials say. Wagner chief was on passenger list (Associated Press)
