The British Ministry of Defense: No Definitive Evidence on Prigozhin’s Presence in Crashed Plane
The British Ministry of Defense stated on Friday that there is currently no definitive evidence that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private Russian military group Wagner, was on board the plane that crashed and killed all its passengers earlier this week. However, his death is highly likely. The Russian authorities have confirmed that Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on the plane, which crashed northwest of Moscow on Wednesday evening, two months after he led a failed rebellion against military leaders.
A portrait of the owner of private military company Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin lays at an informal memorial next to the former PMC Wagner Centre in St. Petersburg, Russia-Image Source: CNN
The Russian authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, but have not officially confirmed the identities of the ten bodies recovered from the wreckage of the plane. The British Ministry of Defense, in an update posted on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter), stated that there is no conclusive evidence that Prigozhin was on board the plane. However, given his known exceptional security measures, it is highly likely that he has already died.
The ministry added that Prigozhin’s death would have a significant impact on the stability of the Wagner group. His personal characteristics of excessive activity, exceptional boldness, pursuit of results, and extreme cruelty towards Wagner were dominant, and it is unlikely that any successor would possess these qualities.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that intelligence strongly suggests that Prigozhin was on board the plane. He added that they are closely monitoring the situation and working with their allies to determine what happened.
The repercussions of the plane crash, which was carrying the founder of the Wagner group and all ten passengers, including Prigozhin, continue to dominate events and headlines, while investigations continue to uncover the circumstances of the accident.
On Thursday reports from Moscow stated that a bomb planted in Prigozhin’s plane in the landing gear compartment caused the crash. The reports suggest that the primary suspect in the plane crash is his personal pilot, Artem Stepanov, who was the last person to inspect the aircraft before its flight to Africa, after which he fled south. The same reports confirmed that the tail of the crashed plane was found five kilometers away from the crash site.
Our correspondent confirmed that Prigozhin’s body is present in the forensic office in the city of Tver, with tightened security around the morgue. He added that the Russian investigative committee is considering all scenarios, including the possibility of an explosion inside the plane.
