Photo: Anadolu
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was reportedly on a private jet that crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday (August 23). According to the TASS news agency, Prigozhin was listed as one of the people on board the Embraer aircraft that was traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburgh.
Officials said that seven passengers and three crew members were killed in the crash. It is unknown if Prigozhin was actually on the plane when it crashed.
Officials said they have launched an investigation into what caused the private jet to crash.
In June, Prigozhin led his mercenary group in a short-lived mutiny against Russian defense officials over their handling of the ongoing war with Ukraine. As he marched toward Moscow with roughly 25,000 troops, he abruptly turned back, citing his unwillingness to engage in a battle with Russian soldiers.
After the attempted mutiny, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko helped negotiate a deal in which Prigozhin received amnesty for himself and his fighters. As part of the agreement, Prigozhin was allowed to relocate to Belarus.
The crash occurred one day after a video purportedly featuring Prigozhin was published on Telegram. In the video, Prigozhin said that his mercenary group was heading to Africa to help make the continent "more free" while helping to make "Russia even greater."