Five unanswered questions remain over plane crash that 'killed' Wagner chief
Rumours continue to swirl after a plane belonging to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin crashed, with all 10 on board feared dead.
The exiled warlord is said to be among those who have perished, having reportedly been on Vladimir Putin's 'kill list' following a failed coup against the Russian President just two months ago. Telegram channels linked to the warlord announced his death on Friday night shortly after news of the crash.
Witnesses heard a loud bang before they saw the jet 'fall from the sky' in a burning fireball. Images of the wreckage show the burning plane in a field in the Tver region as plumes of black smoke rise above the scene, visible from miles away.
Russian social media channels is awash with speculation that a case of fine wine onboard may in fact have been a bomb in disguise. Putin is yet to make a public statement, but is said to have put his former war chief on the 'kill list' following the failed coup.
Prigozhin, 62, rallied his mercenaries to follow him in a march on Moscow in June, but troops turned back in a bid to 'spare Russian blood'. He was then exiled to Belarus and has kept a low profile since.
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Despite Russian officials announcing Prigozhin's death, many questions remain unanswered. Here are five things that are yet to be pieced together following the crash.
What caused the plane crash?
An aircraft belonging to Prigozhin crashed on Friday (AP)Video footage shows the aircraft falling to the sky before crashing in a field in a huge fireball. As the wreckage burns, several theories as to what caused the crash have come to light.
One such theory includes a case of fine wine onboard may in fact have been a bomb in disguise. Security sources have also said they expect the Kremlin to attribute the crash to a bomb placed on board the aircraft by Ukrainian special agents.
However, it is considered far more likely that Prigozhin's jet was targeted by the Russian government using a surface-to-air missile. A Telegram channel thought to be linked to Prigozhin said their leader had died, saying he had been 'killed as a result of actions by traitors of Russia '. A post described him as a 'hero of Russia, a true patriot of his Motherland'.
Who was on the plane?
Dimitry Utkin is also said to be among the dead
The plane crashed in a field near Moscow (Social media/e2w)Russian officials also say Prigozhin was on the plane which crashed in a field just outside of the capital. Ten on board have died, with the Federal Air Transport Agency publishing a list of names of those believed to have perished.
Deputy Dmitry Utkin is also named among the dead, who allegedly founded the Wagner Group. Valeriy Chekalov, who has previously been sanctioned by the US due to his links to the mercenary group, has also been named as well as three pilots.
"A private jet flying from Moscow to St Petersburg crashed," Russian State TV Rossiya24 said. "Ten people were killed. Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers."
The number 795 can be made out on parts of the scrap, which matches the number of the plane linked to Prigozhin. However, the deaths have not been confirmed elsewhere.
Was there a second aircraft?
A second aircraft, with links to Wagner, was seen on flight radar zigzagging over the same Tzer region, 60 miles north of the capital. And now sources close to Prigozhin say that while the aircraft that crashed did belong to him, he usually flew on another plane.
Could Prigozhin have faked his own death?
Prigozhin has faked his own death previously (AP)Rumours are now swirling that this is Prigozhin's bid to fake his own death after he was exiled to Belarus after backing down on his march to Moscow just two months prior. The 62-year-old has upped his security and kept a low profile in a careful move since his march on Moscow failed.
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Keir Giles, from the London-based think tank Chatham House, has warned: "It's been announced that a passenger by the name of Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board - but it is also known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeny Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels. Let’s not be surprised if he pops up shortly in a new video from Africa."
What happens next?
Wagner private army mercenaries released a video following the crash (Social media/e2w)Putin is yet to make a public statement about the crash and last night attended a WW2 concert and handed out military honours in Kursk. It is not known what his next move will be, but with all on board the aircraft said to be top Wagner officials, it takes out several threats to his leadership.
And now mercenaries from the Wagner group say they are planning revenge. A Wagner address last night, reported by the Sun, stated: "We directly say that we suspect the Kremline officials led by Putin of an attempt to kill him!
"If the information about Prigozhin's death is confirmed, we will organise a second March of Justice on Moscow!" Meanwhile armed men claiming to be from the unit warned Putin in a video shared online: "There's a lot of talk right now about what the Wagner Group will do. We can tell you one thing. We are getting started, get ready for us."
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