Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash that occurred shortly after takeoff near Moscow Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board.
The Russian civil aviation authority confirmed that the mercenary group leader was aboard the flight.
Wagner Boss Prigozhin Killed in Private Jet Crash North of Moscow, Says Russian State Mediahttps://t.co/ZoNrVOrn3Y
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 23, 2023
“According to the airline, the following passengers were on board the Embraer-135 (EBM-135BJ) aircraft: Propustin Sergey, Makaryan Evgeniy, Totmin Aleksandr, Chekalov Valeriy, Utkin Dmitriy, Matuseev Nikolay, Prigozhin Evgeniy," the group's Telegram channel reported.
"Crew members: Levshin Aleksei, commander, Karimov Rustam, co-pilot, Raspopova Kristina, flight attendant,” it added.
Russian Wagner Group warlord Prigozhin among dead on plane that crashed, killing 10, officials say https://t.co/bWJ5ExHtTi #FoxNews >><> What a shock.
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) August 23, 2023
"One of Wagner's Telegram channels also confirmed Prigozhin's death, calling it 'a big tragedy for the Fatherland' but adding that it was 'God's will,'" Fox News reported.
"That our best warriors perished is God’s will. Everyone of us is ready for this. The one who orchestrated this thinks that he has won, but it is not so. If this is done by an external enemy - which is unlikely - it only precipitates and exacerbates his inevitable defeat. If this is a knife in the back . . . the Fatherland will survive this," it said.
Russian dissident Yevgeny Prigozhin reported dead after a plane crash outside Moscow https://t.co/eEhIFsm6PE pic.twitter.com/yh1qLf8BA8
— New York Post (@nypost) August 23, 2023
"Prigozhin had led his military group in a mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 24, marching toward Moscow before the effort was called off around 100 miles before he reached the capital and the troops agreed to turn around and head back to the front lines," the New York Post reported.
"The crash comes just two days after Prigozhin, 62, shared his first video address since the aborted coup," it continued.
An unverified video of the crash has been shared online. So far, eight of the bodies have been recovered at the crash site.
The crash has been viewed as highly suspicious by many who see it as a likely planned attack by President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president has so far not addressed the incident.
The shocking death of the Wagner Group leader will certainly lead to more investigation into the matter as the controversy surrounding both the group and Putin grows.
