It was reported that he died/ Was Prigozhin on board the plane?

2023-08-24 07:52:00, Aktualitet CNA

Wagner's warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a failed uprising against the Kremlin exactly two months ago, was aboard a plane that crashed on Wednesday, according to Russian officials - raising questions about how exactly the disaster happened , writes CNN.

The crash occurred northwest of Moscow and killed all on board, the Russian aviation agency said, including Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary group that gained notoriety around the world for its brutal methods and its battlefield victories in the war in Ukraine.

Here's what we know so far.

What happened?

The plane was a private Embraer jet with seven passengers and three crew members on board, according to Russia's emergency services ministry.

It had departed from Moscow and was en route to St. Petersburg when it crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia's western Tver region, Russian officials said.

The bodies of eight people were found at the crash site, according to Russian state media.

It is not yet clear what caused the plane to crash. Russian authorities said they are investigating and conducting search operations.

Was Prigozhin on board?

Prigozhin and several of Wagner's top lieutenants were named on a passenger list shared by the Russian aviation agency.

A Telegram channel linked to Wagner, which had previously carried the group's propaganda videos, also released a statement saying Prigozhin had been killed. CNN is unable to confirm the claim.

Other channels associated with Prigozhin and Wagner, including his official Telegram channel, have remained silent.

But there are other clues linking the warlord and the fall.

Another video published by RIA Novosti purports to show the crash site, where the last four digits of a registration number are visible on the plane's engine debris: 2795. Prigozhin's plane, linked to his companies and the Wagner group, is registered as RA- 02795.

Was this revenge?

The crash comes exactly two months to the day after Prigozhin's attempted coup against Russia's military leadership.

Prigozhin dhe trupat e tij Wagner kishin kapur objektet kryesore ushtarake dhe marshuan drejt Moskës, ku Kremlini kishte vendosur trupa të armatosur rëndë në rrugë. Por përpara se të përballeshin , u arrit një marrëveshje që i dha fund rebelimit dhe dërgoi Prigozhin dhe luftëtarët e tij në Bjellorusinë fqinje.

Ajo shënoi sfidën më të madhe për qeverisjen e presidentit rus Vladimir Putin në 23 vjet. Por ajo gjithashtu pikturoi një objektiv në shpinën e Prigozhinit, me disa ekspertë që spekulonin se komandanti i luftës ishte një njeri i vdekur që ecte.

Edhe presidenti i SHBA Joe Biden sugjeroi të mërkurën se Putin mund të ketë qenë i përfshirë në aksident. “Nuk e di për faktin se çfarë ka ndodhur, por nuk jam i befasuar,” tha ai.

Drejtori i CIA-s Bill Burns dhe Sekretari i Shtetit Antony Blinken kanë bërë komente të ngjashme./ CNA