The leader of private military company Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is now believed to be dead following a plane crash on Wednesday in Russia, the Russian Investigation Committee announced on Sunday.
Genetic testing carried out on the bodies of the plane crash victims in the Tver region were concluded, concluding that the bodies found in the wreckage corresponded with the passenger list announced by Russia’s aviation authority. Among the passengers was Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
For now, investigators have not announced the cause of the crash of the private jet, which was carrying the Wagner officials from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. Media channels linked to the Wagner Group speculated that the aircraft had been shot down by Russian air defences over Tver Oblast. This explanation is still hotly debated.
There is speculation that the Kremlin may have shot down the PMC leader’s jet in revenge for Wagner Group’s abortive rebellion earlier in the year. The Kremlin has denied these rumours.
Investigators will study the flight recorders recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft to conclude the true cause of the crash.
