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Wagner group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is suspected to be dead after a light aircraft crashed over the Bologovsky, Tver region in Russia on August 23, 2023, as per Mirror. According to the Russian Civil Aviation Authority, Prigozhin was on the plane's passenger list.
There were 10 people onboard including seven passengers and three staff members, who were traveling from Moscow to St Petersburg. Everyone onboard reportedly died according to TASS.
Multiple videos of the plane falling out of the sky and the debris at the crash site surfaced online after the news came to light. Dmitry Utkin, a member of the Wagner group and a high-ranking officer was also among the people onboard, as per Mirror.
Two months prior to the reported crash, Yevgeny Prigozhin rebelled against Vladimir Putin, his former confidant, and arranged an armed march against the Russian Defence, according to the New Yorker.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, and their involvement in the Wagner coup
Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin were both onboard the Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet that crashed on Wednesday. As per Daily Beast, the Russian federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya stated:
"An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin."
Yevgeny initially catered for many official government events and soon gained the trust of President Vladimir Putin himself, according to the Guardian. At one of the events at the defense ministry's headquarters, Yevgeny pitched the idea of training "volunteers" who did not have connections with the Russian army but could fight wars in favor of the country behind the scenes.
This pseudo army was soon named the Wagner group, and they worked in Ukraine, Syria, and African countries, as per the outlet.
Two days prior to the plane crash, Yevgeny released a video in which he was seen in camouflage and appeared to be in Africa holding a rifle. However, it is unclear when the video was filmed.
Prigozhin and Dmitry were both integral parts of the Wagner group.
On June 23, 2023, two months before the crash, the chief of the Wagner group, Yevgeny, started a coup against the Russian Military, as per USA Today. The troops were set to march to Moscow but were stopped by the leader when they were 120 miles away from the capital, as per the chief's audio message.
Al jazeera reported that the Wagner leader agreed to live in exile in Belarus as part of his negotiations with the government.
According to the New Yorker, the chief referred to the Russian military and Vladimir Putin when he said:
"They wanted to disband the Wagner military company. We embarked on a march of justice on June 23. Now, the moment has come when blood could be spilled."
He added:
"Understanding responsibility [for the chance] that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned."
Prigozhin has been outspoken about his views on the Russian government's shortcomings while handling the military. According to Sky News, the Wagner chief harshly criticized the defense minister Sergei Shoigu and top general Valery Gerasimov's work with regard to the situation in Ukraine.
Russian officials continue to investigate the recent plane crash and more details about the same are currently awaited.
