In the last few moments, news has broken that a private jet has crashed to the north of Moscow with Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on the passenger list.
Seven passengers and three were onboard what is believed to be an Embraer aircraft flying between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
It is unknown whether Prigozhin actually boarded the plane or not.
About The Aircraft That Crashed To The North of Moscow: Is Prigozhin Onboard?
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It is understood that the aircraft that crashed was RA-02795, an Embraer ERJ135BJ Legacy 600.
As per data from Planespotters.net, the aircraft started out life with Linxair as S5-ABL back in October 2007. From there, it was handed over to International Jet Management in September 2015 as OE-IFF.
From there in 2017, it was handed over to MNG jet as TC-VSR, before being sent over to Autolex Transport in November 2018 as M-SAAN.
It wasn’t until September 2020 when the jet was handed over to the Wagner Group, an aircraft that Prigozhin frequents.
As per @sentdefender on Twitter, Prigozhin was last seen in the West African Nation of Mali a few days ago. Again, his whereabouts are yet to be confirmed.
This remains a developing story. As soon as we receive more information about this crash in Moscow, including the whereabouts of Yevgeny Prigozhin, we will update the article, which will be seen at the bottom of the piece.
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Any Additional Updates?
This is a developing story.
UPDATE #1 @ 1823 UK time – Video footage is swirling of the aircraft crashing to the northwest of Moscow. Currently verifying the footage.
UPDATE #2 @ 1825 UK time – Footage showing the crash site of the Embraer Legacy that went down, with Prigozhin on the passenger list. Information is suggesting that Russian Air Defences shot the aircraft down, but again unconfirmed.
UPDATE #3 @ 1829 UK time – Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia has commented on the crash saying the following:
“An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin”.
UPDATE #4 @ 1837 UK time – Conflicting reasoning ongoing in the cause of the crash. The Telegraph reports that Wagner sources have already suggested it was a target by Russian Air Defences, with Russian media claiming this was a terrorist attack. More to follow!
UPDATE #5 @ 1846 UK time – BBC reporting that the TASS news agency has confirmed four bodies have been found already. The aircraft was only in the air for 30 minutes at the time of the accident!
UPDATE #6 @ 1856 UK time – The BBC have confirmed that they have now found eight bodies in the crash, which is up from the four previously reported.
UPDATE #7 @ 1921 UK time – A second Embraer Legacy jet owned by Prigozhin also was also seen heading into Moscow from St. Petersburg, which further adds fuel to the speculation that it is unclear whether he was on the first jet or not.
UPDATE #8 @ 1926 UK time – More confusion arises as a result of two Prigozhin-owned aircraft attempting to enter the Russian capital, of which one has crashed:
The Telegraph is reporting in its live updates that a Russian investigative journalist claimed that he arrived in Russia from Africa today, with Russian-installed officials in Ukraine claiming that Prigozhin and Wagner co-founder Dmitry Utkin have been killed.
UPDATE #9 @ 1930 UK time – Just in! @sentdefender has confirmed the deaths of Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin as a result of the plane crash that happened in Moscow earlier.
UPDATE #10 @ 2036 UK time – Acquiring reports that Rosaviatsia’s Investigative Committee have opened a criminal case on violation of flight safety rules of the jet that was shot down. Potential airspace violation is what we are hearing.
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