Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, has died in a plane crash in Russia, as reported by the BBC. The crash claimed the lives of nine more people on board.
A private Embraer Legacy plane, carrying ten people, crashed in the vicinity of the Russian city of Tver, as announced by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia.
“There were ten people on the plane, including three crew members. Preliminary information suggests that all of them have perished,” emphasized the department.
It has been specified that the plane was en route from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. The crash occurred near the village of Kuženkino. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the site to initiate the search and rescue operation.
As a reminder, the Wagner group played a significant role in Putin’s military campaign against Ukraine.
However, over time, relations between Prigogine and Putin deteriorated. Prigozhin, the boss of Wagner, increasingly criticized the Russian leader and the administration in Moscow.
The culmination of these tensions was marked by Wagner’s rebellion against the Kremlin this summer, leading his forces towards Moscow.
The rebellion was swiftly suppressed, following which Prigozhin relocated to Belarus. Subsequently, he made a statement from Africa, indicating Wagner’s shift of focus towards the African continent.