Russia confirms first death in plane crash that killed Wagner chief, buzz around Prigozhin's demise continues
Reuters reported that the Russian investigators are yet to ‘confirm a genetic match’. An Embraer executive jet on which Prigozhin was listed as a passenger crashed in Tver region north of Moscow on Aug 23, according to Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency. Six other passengers were listed along with a crew of three, including pilot Alexei Levshin.
Reuters report further quoted investigators that they had told Levshin's family that they had "documentary proof" he had been on the crashed plane. Levshin's family are due to undergo a DNA test later on Friday to establish that they are his relatives, the source said. Investigators did not mention the fate of others registered as being on board the flight.
An earlier report by Reuters had said that Embraer executive jet model that crashed in Russia has only recorded one accident in more than 20 years of service, and that was not related to mechanical failure. Flightradar24 online tracker showed that the Embraer Legacy 600 (plane number RA-02795) said to be carrying Prigozhin had dropped off the radar at 6:11 p.m. local time (1511 GMT).
An unverified video on social media showed a plane resembling a private jet falling out of the sky toward the earth. The aircraft, manufactured in 2007, fell under U.S. Treasury sanctions in 2019 when it was listed under a prior registration, M-SAAN, according to a US government press release.
On Friday, Kremlin veehmently denied suggestion that Russian authorities were involved in the sudden death of Wagner chief. Conspiracy theories had flooded on Thursday following the plane crash. The theories cited Vladimir Putin's infamous nature of ‘not forgiving betrayal’.
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