Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose group launched a failed rebellion against President Vladimir Putin in June, was on the plane that crashed in Russia, leaving no survivors, according to Russian civil aviation officials.

Several Russian state news outlets have reported that Prigozhin is dead. The Wagner-linked Grey Zone Telegram channel has also reported that the mercenary chief is dead.

Russian civil aviation officials also added that Wagner group commander Dmitry Utkin was on board the plane.

All 10 people on the plane, including three crew members, died in the crash, Russia’s emergency ministry said, according to state newswire RIA Novosti.

Officials said a man with Prigozhin’s name was among the passengers, without elaborating further.

An emergency services representative later told RIA Novosti that eight bodies were found at the crash site. It added that search and rescue operations at the site are still ongoing.

Earlier, the Wagner-linked Grey Zone Telegram channel reported that an aircraft was shot down by air defences in the Tver region, some 95km north of Moscow.

Multiple videos were uploaded on social media appearing to show the plane crash.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the footage.

The White House said that US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the plane crash, according to Reuters.

“We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised,” US national security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

Alicia Kearns, who chairs the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, went to Twitter, now called X, to say that the news shows Putin is sending a “very loud” message.

“The speed at which the Russian Govt has confirmed Yevgeny Prigozhin was on a plane that crashed on a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg should tell us everything we need to know,” Kearns said.

Wagner mutiny

The Wagner Group, which has been deployed in various countries at Moscow’s behest, was most recently involved in the war in Ukraine.

It has been militarily active in Syria since 2015, when its mercenaries were deployed to fight alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

The group has also been a key player in Libya, helping military commander-turned-warlord Khalifa Haftar gain control of the southern and eastern regions of the country.

In Sudan, the group is believed to be active primarily in a security capacity to protect resources, including lucrative goldmines.

Wagner is also active in Mozambique, Madagascar, Mali, and the Central African Republic, amongst several other African states.

On 23 June, the mercenary group turned against Russia’s military leadership and began marching from Ukraine to Moscow.

The next day, a deal was struck that allowed Prigozhin to safely travel to Belarus in return for ending the mutiny. Middle East Eye previously reported that the Russian government was having difficulties with taking control of the company, which has a spider network of troops and operatives in multiple countries.

Photo: Middle East Eye