Plane Crash in Russia Kills Yevgeny Prigozhin and 9 Others

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner private military company, has passed away in a tragic incident. According to reports, he was on a plane in Russia that crashed, resulting in the loss of all 10 lives on board. Initial information suggests that Prigozhin was among the passengers.

Earlier, a Telegram channel known to be linked with the Wagner group, called Grey Zone, mentioned that the aircraft might have been brought down by air defenses in the Tver region, situated north of Moscow.

It’s worth noting that Prigozhin was previously involved in a failed uprising against the Russian armed forces back in June. As the founder of the Wagner mercenary group, established in 2014, his legacy leaves behind an influential mark.

A wealthy businessman with a criminal record, he was known as “Putin’s chef” because he provided catering for the Kremlin.

In June he led his troops on a short-lived mutiny, after they seized control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and moved towards Moscow, with the stated aim of removing the military leadership.

However, Prigozhin stopped the advance after negotiations with the Kremlin, which were mediated by Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko.

Under a deal to end the mutiny, charges against Mr Prigozhin were dropped and he was offered a move to Belarus.

He has kept a low profile since then, although a video released a few days ago suggested he was in an African country.