A business jet traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed on Wednesday, causing the death of all ten individuals on board, according to Russian emergency officials. Among those listed as passengers was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company, Wagner.
While Prigozhin was reported to be on the passenger list by Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civilian aviation regulator, it remains unclear whether he had indeed boarded the flight. Unverified media reports suggest that the jet belonged to him.
Emergency officials quoted by Tass, Russia’s state news agency, confirmed that the plane carried three pilots and seven passengers. The crash is currently under investigation, with the crash site located in the Tver region, over 100 kilometers north of Moscow.
Prigozhin, whose private military force has fought alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, staged a short-lived armed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in late June. The Kremlin responded by stating that he would be exiled to Belarus, and his fighters would either retire, follow him, or join the Russian military.
This tragic event draws attention to the critical importance of aviation safety and the thorough investigation of such incidents to prevent future tragedies.