A private jet associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, has reportedly crashed in the Tver Region. Prigozhin, a prominent figure and boss of the controversial private military company, was among the passengers on board the ill-fated flight.
“According to preliminary data, all 10 people on board the plane have died,” the Russian State News Media Tass reporeted. However, conflicting narratives have emerged regarding the cause of the crash, deepening the mystery surrounding the incident.
A Telegram channel closely linked to Wagner, known as “Grey Zone“, has alleged that the aircraft was deliberately downed by the Russian Defense Ministry’s air defense forces. The channel’s message claimed, “The plane was shot down in the sky over the Tver region by air defense forces of the Russian Defense Ministry.”
According to Grey Zone, the Embraer Legacy 600 jet vanished from radar screens at 18:20 local time. Despite attempts to establish contact with the crew, communication was unsuccessful. Subsequently, air traffic controllers alerted the Russian Ministry of Defense and air defense units about the situation.
Adding another layer of intrigue to the story, Grey Zone indicated that a second aircraft owned by Prigozhin, identified as an Embraer ERJ-135BJ ‘Legacy 650,’ was still airborne over Moscow after the reported downing of the first plane.
Adding another updates in Telegram, Grey Zone confirmed the death of Prigozhin.
While the fate of the first plane remains uncertain, Grey Zone reported that the second jet, bearing tail number RA-02795 and also belonging to Prigozhin, had safely landed at the Ostafyevo airport near Moscow. The channel stated, “The second Embraer 600 business jet with tail number RA-02795, which also belonged to the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, landed at the Ostafyevo airport near Moscow.”
The situation has gained the attention of Russian authorities, with the Federal Agency for Air Transport of Russia launching an investigation into the crash. The agency’s statement confirmed the initiation of an investigation into the Embraer plane crash that occurred in the Tver Region. Notably, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s name was included on the list of passengers for the ill-fated flight, according to state news agency TASS.
(With inputs from agencies)
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