Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a failed mutiny against Vladimir Putin, was on a plane that crashed in western Russia, say aviation officials
Authorities say all 10 people on board were killed after the private aircraft came down near the village of Kuzhenkino
They also say the passengers included Prigozhin, who is the head of mercenary group Wagner, and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin
Russian authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, amid heavy speculation
Prigozhin kept a low public profile since he led his mutiny in June, which lasted only 24 hours
He last appeared in a video earlier this week which was said to have been filmed in an unspecified location in Africa
The Wagner mercenary group was founded in 2014 and was highly active in the Ukraine war until the mutiny
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has so far remained tight-lipped on the reported death of Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Last night, shortly after the news broke that Prigozhin was on board the stricken Embraer jet, Putin appeared at an event in the Kursk Region marking the anniversary of a famous World War Two battle.
During the event, he paid tribute to those Russians killed during the so-called ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
Unsurprisingly, there was no mention of Wagner or of Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Putin may be waiting until an official version of events surrounding the plane crash is established.
The Kremlin leader is well-known for his “wait-and-see” attitude after major events – he rarely reacts immediately.
The private jet that crashed in Russia, reportedly killing Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and nine others was an Embraer Legacy 600.
The Brazil-based Embraer Legacy 600 entered service in 2002 with almost 300 jets produced so far.
The model has a very good safety record – it has had just one accident in more than 20 years of service, according to website International Aviation HQ/
The incident, which occurred in 2006 as one of the planes was flying from an Embraer factory in Brazil to the US, was blamed on human error rather than mechanical failure, the site says.
Manufacturing of the jet was discontinued in 2020.
Embraer has said it was aware of a Legacy 600 plane crash in Russia, but it did not have further information about the case.
Without Prigozhin, Wagner in its present form is finished.
The Wagner chief’s frequent, self-aggrandising appearances on the group’s Telegram channel, dressed up as a soldier, bely the complex network of alliances he built up behind the scenes.
From Mali to the Middle East, this former hot dog salesman forged personal connections with people who enabled the Wagner group to successfully spread its tentacles across at least seven countries, notably in West Africa.
He also enjoyed the loyalty, perhaps even the devotion, of thousands of his mercenary troops.
This personal charisma, in stark contrast to the often dour demeanour of Russia’s military bosses, means he will be hard to replace.
Russian emergency services have said that the bodies of all ten people on the Embraer Legacy jet have now been recovered.
According to the authorities, those on board include Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his second-in-command Dmitry Utkin – the man who gave the mercenary group its name.
Attention is now focused on what caused the crash.
Police have sealed off the area around the crash site and the Russian Aviation Authority has formed a special commission to look into it.
Many Russians were unsurprised when the news of Prigozhin’s reported death broke yesterday.
When Prigozhin launched a failed mutiny two months ago, he also challenged the authority of Vladimir Putin himself. And that’s something the Russian President does not forget easily.