Yevgeny Prigozhin: What We Know So Far About the Plane Crash

Firefighters work amid aircraft wreckage at an accident scene following the crash of a private jet in the Tver region

By Kathryn Armstrong

BBC News

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is presumed dead, having been named on the passenger list of a private jet that crashed north of the Russian capital, Moscow.

A key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, his private military company has played a key role in Ukraine following Moscow's invasion in February 2022.

But his relationship with Mr Putin soured after Prigozhin ordered his troops to march on Moscow in a day-long rebellion against Russia's military leaders in June.

The details of the crash are still emerging but here is what we know so far.

What happened to the plane?

Russian aviation officials confirmed the aircraft, an Embraer Legacy, had been flying between Moscow and St Petersburg when it crashed in the Tver region, north of Moscow on Wednesday evening.

But Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone reported the jet had been shot down by the Russian military - although it provided no evidence to support its claim.

The private jet was carrying seven passengers and three crew.

According to preliminary information, all 10 people on board were killed. All the bodies are said to have been recovered.

The Embraer Legacy - registered to one of Prigozhin's companies - caught fire on hitting the ground having reportedly been in the air for less than half an hour.

Video footage verified by the BBC showed an aircraft falling from the sky in Kuzhenkino, Russia.

Grey Zone reports that a second business jet owned by Prigozhin landed safely in the Moscow region.

Who was on board?

The private jet that crashed was carrying seven passengers and three crew.

Russia's aviation agency identified the seven passengers as: Prigozhin and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin, Sergei Propustin, Yevgeny Makaryan, Alexander Totmin, Valery Chekalov and Nikolai Matuseyev.

The crew members were identified as Captain Alexei Levshin, co-pilot Rustam Karimov and flight attendant Kristina Raspopova.

What do we know about Prigozhin's recent movements?

The private jet was believed to have been en route from Moscow to St Petersburg when it came down around 60 miles north of the Russian capital.

Since his short-lived mutiny against Russia's top military commanders, whom he had repeatedly criticised for their strategy in Ukraine, Prigozhin had kept a relatively low profile.

Under a deal to end the rebellion, charges against him were dropped on the understanding that he relocate to Belarus.

He appeared to do so, albeit briefly, and on his own terms.

In mid-July, a video that appeared on Telegram channels appeared to show Prigozhin welcoming fighters in Belarus.

But later that month, he was photographed in the Russian city of St Petersburg during the Africa-Russia summit.

In the past week, Prigozhin released his first video statement since June's abortive rebellion, which suggested he was in Africa.

The BBC has not been able to verify where that video was filmed.

After Grey Zone reported that he had died, Russia's aviation agency released what it said was a confirmed list of those on board the aircraft that went down in the Tver region just north of Moscow.

Prigozhin's name is on it.

What happens now?

According to Russia's investigative committee, a criminal investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash under Article 263 of Russia's criminal code, which governs traffic safety and the operation of air transport.

Meanwhile, emergency services have finished their search of the site.

The governor of the Tver region, Igor Rudenya, has reportedly taken control of the investigation.