The situation remains confusing after yesterday's crash in Russia of a private Embraer plane in which Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner military company, and nine other people were flying.
Russia's Civil Aviation Service Rosaviatsia officially confirmed a few hours ago that 62-year-old Prigozhin and the company's top military leader Dmitry Utkin were on board the private plane, which was flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg and crashed in the region Other.
However, according to British media, there are widespread rumors that the 62-year-old boss Wagner, who led his own mercenary rebellion against the Russian military leadership last June, may have staged his death and flown him on another plane.
According to the Daily Mail, the rumors are based on the fact that a second aircraft linked to Wagner was seen on radar zigzagging over the Tver region where the Embraer crashed. "This would not be the first time he has successfully disappeared," the British paper explained, adding that Prigozhin was officially declared dead in Africa in 2019, before eventually resurfacing before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
For Keir Giles, an analyst at the Chatham House institute based in London, the presence of Prigozhin's name on the passenger list of the fatal Embraer does not mean much. "It was announced that a man named Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board the plane. But it has also been reported that some people have changed their names to "Yevgeny Prigozhin" as part of the Wagner leader's attempt to go underground. I wouldn't be too surprised if he suddenly appears in a new video from Africa. "
It is recalled that the list of passengers published by Rosaviatsia, confirming the death of Prigozhin and Utkin, also included the name of Valery Chekalov, the head of security for the leader of the mercenary company. Ten people were on board the plane, including three crew members. According to the first information, everyone on board the plane is dead," the Russian Ministry of Emergencies said earlier via Telegram.
Threats from "Wagner's Warriors: 'Get ready, we're coming'"
Telegram channels linked to Prigozhin announced his death shortly after the plane crashed, blaming "traitors" in Russia.
Although the cause of the crash is still unclear, the theory that it was caused by a bomb hidden inside a box of expensive wines on board the plane has been widely shared on Russian social media.
According to The Sun, "Wagner executives" last night directly blamed the Kremlin for their leader's murder. "If the information that Prigozhin is dead is confirmed, we will organize a new march for justice in Moscow," they said, referring to the advance of rebel mercenaries on the Russian capital last June.
In a video released by British media, gunmen claiming to be Wagner fighters warn that nothing is over. "A lot of people are talking now about what Wagner is going to do. One thing we can tell you. This is only the beggining. Get ready, we're coming.”