According to Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsiya), the plane, an Embraer Legacy 600 that was carrying three crew members and seven passengers, plummeted straight into the ground near the town of Kuzhenkino.
All passengers, including Prigozhin, 62, were Wagner group allies, reports claim, including Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin's "right hand" man after whose call name the group received its "musical" name. Channels affiliated with the mercenary group confirmed the death of their chief, according to i24 News.
We are told that Prigozhin had actually initially flown in on another plane from Mali to Moscow when he stopped to refuel in Damascus, Syria. Upon eventually reaching the Russian capital, Prigozhin allegedly switched to his private jet, which is now gone.
(Related: To help maintain stability following the failed rebellion of Wagner group mercenaries, communist China has pledged its support for Russia.)
Biden says he's "not surprised" by Prigozhin's death
After being briefed about the matter, fake president Joe Biden allegedly commented that he is "not surprised" it occurred. Mykhaylo Podolyak, a senior aide to the Ukrainian presidency, further commented that the crash is a signal from the Kremlin.
"The demonstrative elimination of Prigozhin and the Wagner command two months after the coup attempt is a signal from Putin to Russia's elites ahead of the 2024 elections," Podolyak wrote on social media. "Beware! Disloyalty equals death."
There are varying stories as to what took down the plane. Several Telegram channels are speculating that Prigozhin's plane may have been shot down by Russia's air defense system while others are saying there was some kind of terrorist attack on board.
The incident occurred just one day after Russian state news agency RIA reported that Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon," was relieved of his post as head of Russia's aerospace forces.
Surovikin has not made a single appearance since the Wagner group's short-lived mutiny occurred exactly two months ago from the time of the plane crash, on June 23. There is speculation that Surovikin may have been detained by Russian authorities due to his alleged support for Prigozhin.
On other social media platforms, there is chatter that perhaps U.S.-based space weapons brought down Prigozhin's plane because he did not do what the American deep state asked him to do in exchange for large sums of cash.
"This is why Putin does not fly, not even in a helicopter over Moscow," one wrote, adding that U.S-based space weapons "target Russia."
"Why would Prigozhin have ever gotten on a plane in the first place considering his situation?" asked another.
"He wouldn't, but maybe he sent a decoy instead just to see what happens and to possibly uncover double agents or moles that are working against him," responded someone else.
Others are speculating that perhaps this is just a decoy stunt from Wagner itself to try to ignite a civil war.
The "Sprinter" account on Twitter (now known as "X") also tweeted that a second plane owned by Prigozhim, an Embraer ERJ-135BJ "Legacy 650," landed at Ostafyevo Airport in Vnukovo near Moscow not long after the first plane crashed:
The second plane of Prigozhin landed in Vnukovo , — data from Flightradar pic.twitter.com/TCajN5xQ5K
— Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) August 23, 2023
"Wagner is already inside Moscow and is just waiting for the command to go," speculated someone as to what may be occurring as all eyes are on the crashed plane.
The latest news about the situation in Russia can be found at Chaos.news.
Sources for this article include:
Please contact us for more information.
