Russia’s civil aviation authority has confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner Group, was among the passengers on a private jet that crashed, resulting in the loss of all on board.

Earlier reports from the Wagner-linked Telegram channel “Grey Zone” indicated that the Embraer aircraft might have been brought down by air defense systems in the Tver region, situated north of Moscow.

The tragic incident involved a private jet, an Embraer Legacy, en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The aircraft carried a total of seven passengers and three crew members.

Prigozhin, who led an unsuccessful rebellion against the Russian armed forces in June, was among those on board the ill-fated jet.

According to Grey Zone, local residents in the area heard two distinct sounds before the crash and witnessed two vapor trails in the sky.

Reports from the Tass news agency detailed that the Embraer Legacy, owned by Prigozhin, caught fire upon impact with the ground. The aircraft had been in flight for less than 30 minutes. Grey Zone further revealed that a second business jet owned by Prigozhin managed to land safely in the Moscow region.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, played a central role in a mutiny that unfolded on June 23-24. He directed his troops from Ukraine to capture the southern Russian city of Rostov on Don, thereby posing a threat to Moscow.