Moscow: Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary force Wagner was listed among the 10 passengers reported killed when a private jet crashed north of Moscow.
There was no immediate official confirmation that Prigozhin, Russia’s most powerful mercenary and a self declared enemy of the Russian Defence Ministry, was physically on board. Prigozhin led an aborted mutiny against Russia’s armed forces in June.
Reuters could not confirm that he was on air craft though a Telegram channel linked to Wagner pronounced him dead. Prigozhin died “as a result of actions of traitors to Russia,” the Grey Zone Telegram channel posted. Social media linked to the Wagner mercenary group say his private plane was shot down by Russian air defences. At the same time Grey Zone reported that a second business jet owned by Prigozhin had landed safely in the Moscow region. An investigation has been launched into the crash and emergency services are searching the scene.
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