Wagner chief believed killed in plane crash near Moscow

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport has confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner military group, was on the passenger list for a plane that crashed near Moscow on Wednesday.

The agency said earlier that an investigation had been launched into the cause of the plane crash in the Tver Region, noting that Prigozhin was among the passengers.

A private Embraer plane en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed in the Tver Region on Wednesday, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said, noting all the 10 people on board were killed in the incident.

According to the website International Aviation HQ, the Brazilian Embraer Legacy 600 model executive jet that crashed has only recorded one accident in over 20 years of service, which was not due to mechanical failure. However, Embraer aerospace company said it had not provided maintenance for the aircraft since 2019, complying with international sanctions imposed on Russia.

The plane showed no sign of problems until a precipitous drop in its final 30 seconds, according to flight-tracking data.

Local residents heard two bangs before the crash and saw two vapor trails, the Grey Zone Telegram channel posted.

Tass news agency said the plane had been in the air for less than half an hour and had caught fire on hitting the ground.

U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on reports that a plane reportedly carrying Prigozhin had crashed in Russia, according to the White House press pool.

"I don't know for a fact what happened, but I'm not surprised," Biden said when asked about the crash.

"We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said via her account on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

Prigozhin was accused of attempting to carry out an armed rebellion in Russia this June. On June 24, Prigozhin entered the headquarters of the Russian armed forces' Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don.

However, Moscow and Prigozhin reached a compromise through the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.