INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The head of the Wagner group, which in June attempted to topple Russia&s military leadership, was registered to fly on a plane that crashed
Wednesday, Russian news agencies said.The whereabouts of Yevgeny Prigozhin were yet to be officially confirmed, but news of the crash that
is believed to have left no survivors triggered reactions from Ukraine and the United States, AFP reported.The incident took place exactly
two months since Prigozhin&s rebellion — seen as the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin&s authority since he came to
power — and as uncertainty has surrounded the fate of Wagner and its controversial chief.Russia&s ministry for emergency situations on
Wednesday announced the crash of a private plane travelling between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.According to preliminary information, all 10
people on board died, including three crew members, the ministry said.Russian news agencies later reported Prigozhin on the list of
passengers of the plane.&The plane that crashed in the Tver Region listed Yevgeny Prigozhin among its passengers, (Russia&s aviation agency)
Rosaviatsia said,& TASS news agency reported, with RIA Novosti and Interfax issuing similar reports.Videos on Telegram channels linked to
Wagner posted footage — that AFP could not independently confirm — showing the wreckage of the plane burning in a field.Rosaviatsia said
it set up a special commission to investigate the crash of the Embraer & 135 (ЕВМ-135BJ) belonging to MNT-Aero.Russia&s
Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said it opened an investigation into the crash.The bodies of eight people have been
found so far at the site of the crash, RIA Novosti said citing the emergency services.Putin was meanwhile giving a speech for the 80th
anniversary of the Kursk battle in World War II.He did not mention the crash and hailed &all our soldiers who are fighting bravely and
resolutely& in the special military operation in Ukraine.But rumors of Prigozhin&s death reached other capitals, with Kyiv and Washington
reacting.&I don&t know for a fact what happened, but I&m not surprised,& US President Joe Biden said.&There&s not much that happens in
Russia that (President) Putin&s not behind
But I don&t know enough to know the answer.&Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said on social media that the plane crash was &a
signal from Putin to Russia&s elites ahead of the 2024 elections
‘Beware! Disloyalty equals death&.&During the offensive in Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022, Prigozhin — who previously operated
in the shadows — came into the spotlight.He spearheaded the capture of several Ukrainian towns including Bakhmut — and harshly
criticised Russia&s conventional military leadership.But Prigozhin was locked in a bitter months-long power struggle with the defence
ministry that he accused of trying to &steal& Wagner&s victories.Tensions degenerated into a short-lived rebellion on June 23 and
24.Thousands of mercenaries took up weapons and marched from southern Russia towards Moscow with the aim of toppling the country&s military
leaders.The mutiny ended with a deal, mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, under which Prigozhin was expected to move to
neighbouring Belarus with some of his men.Some of the fighters went to Belarus where they began training the ex-Soviet country&s special
forces.But the fate of Prigozhin remained unclear: he seemed to enjoy a certain amount of freedom and took part in a meeting at the Kremlin
where he refused to cede command of his mercenary group.Still, he mostly remained out of the public eye.His Telegram channel — where he
usually communicated — has been inactive since the end of June.Wagner-linked Telegram channels instead purportedly relayed rare
messages.On Monday, video circulated showing him apparently in Africa, which he vowed to make &freer&.The group maintains a strong military
presence in Africa, where it has partnered with several nations, including Mali and the Central African Republic
& AFPThe post Wagner chief on passenger list of crashed plane first appeared on Ariana News.
