Russian mercenary Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is reported to have been on an Embraer Legacy 600 private jet owned by the Wagner Group that crashed after being shot down over Tver, Russia by Russian military on Wednesday with no survivors among the reported seven passengers and three crew members. The jet was reported on a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg when it was reportedly taken down by two air defense missiles. Other Wagner Group leaders including Dmitry Utkin were reported on the plane.
Prigozhin, who rose from being “Putin’s chef” to leading a global mercenary army, staged a bizarre convoy march on Moscow two months ago, reportedly upset over President Vladimir Putin’s conduct of the war on Ukraine. A deal was reported arranged where the Wagner Group would move to neighboring Belarus. Putin has employed the Wagner Group in Ukraine, Syria and Africa as proxy fighting forces for Russia.
Videos:
Самолёт, который разбился в Тверской области, принадлежит Евгению Пригожину, утверждают издание Baza и журналистка Ксения Собчак. На борту бизнес-джета Embraer, как утверждается, были 7 человек, они погибли.
Видео: соцсети pic.twitter.com/EzyZ3PbVT8
— ЭХО (@echofm_online) August 23, 2023
Prigozhin was listed among the passengers of Embraer private jet that crashed in Tver region. Utkin was also onboard. Two months after the mutiny. pic.twitter.com/t1InmYexRB
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) August 23, 2023
A video appeared, which allegedly shows the moment of the crash of Prigozhin’s plane. pic.twitter.com/KkTmw7LoH9
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 23, 2023
Wall Street Journal reporter Yaroslov Trofimov posted reports on the incident, “It appears that the Prigozhin owned jet was shot down by Russian air defenses…Ten people dead after a Prigozhin-owned jet was shot down near Tver in Russia, per Tass.”
Ten people dead after a Prigozhin-owned jet was shot down near Tver in Russia, per Tass. https://t.co/LaalxZX5eD
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) August 23, 2023
Trofimov added, “Prigozhin was aboard the plane that was downed by the Russian air defenses, per Tass.”
Prigozhin was aboard the plane that was downed by the Russian air defenses, per Tass. pic.twitter.com/oyw7OIPTog
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) August 23, 2023
Photo from the crash scene:
A picture circulated by a Wagner-tied channel of the jet belonging to Prigozhin that crashed near Tver #Russia pic.twitter.com/1lL3S4ZIX3
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) August 23, 2023
Jack Posobiec reposted video of the crash scene, “A private jet belonging to Yevgeny Prigozhin has crashed with all 7 passengers and 3 crew reportedly dying upon impact. Prigozhin was, per the passenger manifest, listed as being on the plane. There are also reports a second plane of its type belonging to Prigozhin has currently turned around and is landing in Moscow.”
A private jet belonging to Yevgeny Prigozhin has crashed with all 7 passengers and 3 crew reportedly dying upon impact. Prigozhin was, per the passenger manifest, listed as being on the plane
There are also reports a second plane of its type belonging to Prigozhin has currently… pic.twitter.com/JgcruCTCdX
— Jack Poso (@JackPosobiec) August 23, 2023
More videos from the crash scene:
Russian aviation agency: Yevgeny Prigozhin was among passengers in the plane that crashed in Tver region of Russia.
That was predictable.
It will be interesting to find out who else was on board of that plane. By some information, Dmitriy Utkin was there as well.
Ten people… pic.twitter.com/RukDbDJCKc
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 23, 2023
A video shared by Russian online news publication Mash on Telegram on Aug. 23 shows the crash site of Wagner Group’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private plane in Russia’s Tver Oblast.
Video: Russian online news publication Mash / Telegram pic.twitter.com/Ju0RckTGDE
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 23, 2023
Simon Ateba on Tuesday posted a recent video of Prigozhin recruiting forces to fight in Africa, “JUST IN: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is in Africa to encourage people to join his ranks. His video was posted on Telegram channels linked to the Wagner group. It shows Prigozhin in combat gear, saying the group is making Africa “more free.” Prigozhin’s soldiers are embedded in countries including Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR). In the video, Prigozhin says Wagner is fighting Islamist militants and other criminals. “Justice and happiness – for the African people, we’re making life a nightmare for ISIS (Islamic State), Al-Qaeda, and other bandits.” “We are working. The temperature is +50 – everything as we like. Wagner PMC conducts reconnaissance and search actions, making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free,” Prigozhin can be heard saying.”
JUST IN: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is in Africa to encourage people to join his ranks. His video was posted on Telegram channels linked to the Wagner group. It shows Prigozhin in combat gear, saying the group is making Africa “more free.”
Prigozhin’s soldiers are embedded… pic.twitter.com/AdNPVoJY7U
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) August 22, 2023
UPDATE: A second Wagner Group jet was reported in the air Wednesday, flying from St. Petersburg to Moscow and taking an unusual flight path.
A few notes: 1) Second Prigozhin’s plane (RA-02748) was bound from St. Pete to Moscow (not vice versa like RA-02795, which crashed). 2) This second plane strangely stopped transmitting any open data almost an hour ago after flying a weird path near Moscow. https://t.co/aOgDcU4pbE pic.twitter.com/5LgqTnYGBR
— Mark Krutov (@kromark) August 23, 2023
A Russian journalist reported Prigozhin had just returned from Africa:
Journalist @skazal_on notes that Prigozhin did indeed arrive to Russia from Africa today. He came along with the rest of the Wagner leadership. Sources told him it would be a “miracle” if he was on the second (allegedly) Wagner-linked plane in Moscow.https://t.co/nWF8zg4HIG
— Aric Toler (@AricToler) August 23, 2023
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