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Home / Blog / Russian plane crash explained: Everything we know, from the model of Prigozhin's jet to what brought it down
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Russian plane crash explained: Everything we know, from the model of Prigozhin's jet to what brought it down

Jun 16, 2024Jun 16, 2024

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is believed to have died when the luxury private jet he was flying on mysteriously fell from the sky, two months after his failed attempted coup against Russia’s military top brass.

The crash, which is suspected to have been intended to kill the Wagner Group chief, resulted in the death of all 10 people on board.

Some people on Russian social media have suggested the crash was caused by a bomb disguised as a crate of fine wine, placed on the aircraft shortly before takeoff. Christopher Steele, a British former intelligence officer, said on Sky News that this would be “kind of an ironic ending, really”, for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former caterer.

Prigozhin, 62, a former hot dog seller, in June was accused of treason over his failed bid to storm Moscow. Mr Putin at the time said the actions of his former confidant could have tipped Russia into a civil war, but charges against the mercenary chief were dropped soon after.

Here’s what we know so far about the circumstances of the crash:

The plane, an Embraer Legacy 600 private jet, crashed on Wednesday near the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia’s Tver region on its way from Moscow to St Petersburg, killing all seven passengers and three crew members.

Besides Prigozhin, Wagner group commander Dmitry Utkin was also named by the Russian civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, as one of those killed.

Flightradar24 online tracker showed that the Embraer Legacy 600 (plane number RA-02795) said to be carrying Prigozhin had dropped off the radar at 6.11pm local time (4.11pm BST). An unverified video on social media showed a plane resembling a private jet falling out of the sky.

According to the BBC’s security correspondent, Frank Gardener, UK defence sources believe Russian security service FSB (successors to the KGB) were likely to have been behind the crash.

While Mr Putin spoke publicly at the Brics summit on Thursday morning, he made no mention of Prigozhin’s death, despite the incident dominating headlines around the world.

MI6 boss Sir John Sawyers said he believed the 23-year Kremlin leader was behind the reported death of his former ally and ex-convict, whose forces have fought some of the bloodiest battles of the war in Ukraine.

“You can never fully be certain of the facts in places like Russia but all the indications point to the fact that Putin has taken him out – he’s reasserted his control,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

A Telegram channel linked to Wagner, Grey Zone, pronounced him dead and hailed him as a hero and a patriot who it claimed had died at the hands of unidentified people it called “traitors to Russia”.

Rumours circulated on the messaging app that Prigozhin was killed using a bomb disguised as a crate of expensive wine, but there is not yet any evidence confirming this.

US President Joe Biden has said he “wasn’t surprised” to hear of Prigozhin’s death, adding: “There is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind, but I don’t know enough to know the answer.”

There are those who have suggested Prigozhin may still be alive and could even have faked his own death.

Chatham House Russia analyst Keir Giles said: “It is known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeny Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels.

“So until we know for certain that it’s the right Prigozhin, let’s not be surprised if he pops up shortly in a new video from Africa.”

A second jet belonging to Prigozhin, which was also in flight, turned around midair after the incident and later landed at Ostafyevo airport near Moscow.

This has led some people to speculate that Prigozhin faked his own death and was on the second flight.

The Embraer executive jet that crashed in Russia, apparently with Prigozhin onboard, has only recorded one accident in more than 20 years of service, and that was due to mistakes by the crew rather than mechanical failure, according to the website, International Aviation HQ.

Russian authorities said Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on the private jet.

Embraer on Wednesday said it was aware of a Legacy 600 plane crash in Russia, but that it did not have further information about the case.

It also said it has been complying with international sanctions imposed on Russia and had not been providing aftermarket maintenance for the aircraft since 2019.

Sanctions block Western plane makers from providing parts or support for planes operated in Russia.

Kuzhenkino resident Vitaly Stepenok, 72, told Reuters: “I heard an explosion or a bang. Usually, if an explosion happens on the ground then you get an echo, but it was just a bang and I looked up and saw white smoke.”

“One wing flew off in one direction and the fuselage went like that,” he added, gesturing with his arms to show how the plane headed down towards the ground.

There has been no official comment from the Kremlin or Russia’s defence ministry on the fate of Prigozhin.

Russian investigators said they had opened a criminal investigation. Unnamed sources told Russian media they believed the plane had been shot down by one or more surface-to-air missiles. i could not verify the reports.

Additional reporting by agencies

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