A tragic incident occurred in Russia on Wednesday, resulting in the loss of all 10 lives on board a plane, as reported by The Associated Press. Russian emergency officials have confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, was among the passengers.
While it remains unclear whether Prigozhin was on the specific aircraft traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Russian channels have detailed that the crashed plane belonged to Prigozhin’s team, known to frequently fly to Belarus.
Flight tracking data reveals that a private jet registered to Wagner took off from Moscow on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, within minutes after takeoff, the jet’s transponder signal vanished in a remote area devoid of nearby airfields.
Recently, Prigozhin made a noteworthy appearance in a video, allegedly filmed in Africa, after leading an unsuccessful mutiny against Russian commanders in June. In the video, he stood in a desert-like landscape, attired in camouflage with a rifle in hand, expressing Wagner’s mission to enhance Russia’s influence across continents and liberate Africa.
CBS News has yet to authenticate Prigozhin’s location or the timing of the video. However, it appears to be part of a recruitment campaign in Africa, where the Wagner Group has been actively involved, providing security support to certain nations and dictatorial regimes in exchange for access to valuable natural resources.
The future of the Wagner Group had remained uncertain since June, when tensions escalated significantly between Wagner and Russia’s defense ministry. Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking Wagner camps in Ukraine, resulting in multiple casualties. As a response, Prigozhin’s forces withdrew from Ukraine and assumed control of the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, responsible for overseeing the conflict in Ukraine.
Eventually, Prigozhin agreed to a de-escalation agreement brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, promising to cease operations within Russia. Nonetheless, doubts regarding the deal emerged in July, with indications that Prigozhin might not be in Belarus but instead hiding within Russia itself, according to a U.S. official.
This tragic event raises further questions about the fate of Prigozhin and the Wagner Group. The investigation continues to unfold, shedding light on the complex dynamics of this private military organization and their controversial operations in various parts of the world.
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