Putin enemy and Wagner Group boss Prigozhin reported dead in plane crash

Putin’s major enemy and Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is reported dead tonight (Wednesday) following a plane crash. The world’s media is leading with reports that include footage showing a craft tumbling from the sky and crashing.

Russian authorities have said the mercenary chief was on the passenger list of the plane when it crashed, killing all 10 on board. The private jet carrying three pilots and seven passengers that was travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg went down more than 60 miles north of the capital, according to officials cited by Russia’s state news agency Tass.

However, whether or not warlord Prigozhin was on board is still something of a mystery. The UK Government said that it is monitoring the situation after the reports.

In a statement, a Government spokesperson said: “We are monitoring the situation closely.”

Prigozhin, a former Russian businessman and billionaire, is the head of the mercenary Wagner Group. In June, Prigozhin mounted a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military leadership over dissatisfaction about the treatment of his private military company, which has fought alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine.

His fate has been the subject of close scrutiny ever since after his apparent exile to Belarus, but reports have suggested he has appeared in Russia in recent months. Prighozin made his first video appearance following the uprising this week, with the mercenary leader suggesting he was in Africa alongside Wagner fighters.

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