Reports of the Death of Wagner Group Founder in Plane Crash in Russia

Media reports indicate that a plane carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, crashed on Wednesday evening, September 1 (local time), and all passengers, including him, were killed. However, Russian officials had not released any official news regarding the death of the Wagner group founder by Wednesday night. The Wall Street Journal reported that the plane crashed in the 'Tver' region, northwest of Moscow. The New York Times also reported on Wednesday that the Russian Ministry of Aviation announced that a private plane with ten passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin, crashed north of Moscow, and all passengers were killed. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also reported that the plane was en route from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. According to this report, the Russian Ministry of Aviation stated that Yevgeny Prigozhin's name was on the passenger list of the plane. Meanwhile, the Associated Press quoted the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti, stating that the bodies of eight people had been found at the crash site. The Associated Press noted that the plane was registered to the Wagner group and was used by Yevgeny Prigozhin. So far, no reason for the plane's crash has been published, but Russian officials have announced the start of investigations into the matter. Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted Anton Troianovski, the head of the newspaper's Moscow office, stating that Yevgeny Prigozhin's fate is currently unclear, and in 'Redovka,' a Telegram account close to Russian officials, it was stated that reports of his death are 'premature.' This Telegram channel also mentioned that 'he may have been on another plane.' Reports of the plane crash and the potential death of the Wagner group founder come amid reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin had released a video stating that he was in Africa. Before the plane crash, two Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday that Sergey Surovikin, nicknamed 'General Armageddon,' had been removed from his position as commander of the Russian Air Force. This dismissal occurred after he had been out of public view for a while during the Wagner mercenaries' rebellion against senior Russian military officials. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the 62-year-old founder of the Wagner mercenary group, led an armed rebellion on July 3 of this year, advancing his forces from the Ukrainian border to 200 kilometers from Moscow but ended his rebellion against Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, following a deal mediated by Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus. After that, Wagner forces left the city of Rostov and returned to their bases. At the beginning of the rebellion, Yevgeny Prigozhin stated that the reason for his forces' advance towards Moscow was to eliminate corrupt and ineffective commanders of the Russian army and to remove Sergey Shoigu, the Minister of Defense, and Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army. The Wagner group, known for its involvement in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, expanded under the leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin and encompasses business interests and mercenaries from various countries in regions in Africa and the Middle East, whose boundaries remain ambiguous. Two Russian news agencies: General Armageddon was removed from the command of the Russian Air Force. The British Ministry of Defense: The Kremlin may no longer financially support the Wagner group. Wagner forces entered the Central African Republic before the referendum. Kremlin spokesperson: Putin met with Prigozhin five days after the Wagner rebellion. Russian security agents inspected Prigozhin's offices to find evidence against the Wagner commander. The future of the Russian paramilitary Wagner group in the Middle East and Africa is under the scrutiny of the United States.