MOSCOW – All ten people on board including Russian mercenary group Wagner’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin were killed when a private jet crashed on Wednesday.

Moscow has started a high-level probe into the cause of the crash, amid heavy speculation about the shocking death of Prigozhin, who dared to stand against Russian President Putin.

As Wagner blamed Kremlin for the incident, international media reported that former close aide of Putin was on board the Embraer-135 (EBM-135BJ) aircraft, he was travelling with Dmitry Utkin, a right-hand of Prigozhin who managed group’s operations.

Initial reports suggest that the plane was moving from Moscow to St. Petersburg when the incident occurred near the village of Kuzhenkino in Tver.

To people’s surprise, the crashed jet has only recorded one accident in over 2 decades, and that was not related to mechanical failure.

Critics linked the plane crash with a failed mutiny, opining that crash was not a tragic accident, as Wagner's chief became powerful for Moscow and was extremely inconvenient.

Earlier, Prigozhin remained low-key since June but his video surfaced in recent times in which he appeared in Africa.

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

Russian mercenary forces were behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as they played a crucial role in the battle for Bakhmut. Later, cracks widened between Russian armed forces and mercenary group and later deceased decided to pull his soldiers out of war-torn Ukraine and march on Moscow.

Prigozhin, 62, was a businessman who gained international attention primarily due to his association with the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian organization that has been accused of conducting disinformation campaigns and spreading propaganda on social media platforms to influence political events in various countries, including the 2016 United States presidential election.

Prigozhin has been referred to as Putin's chef because his company, Concord Catering, has provided catering services for Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking officials. He has close ties to the Russian government and is believed to have significant influence within it.

In 2018, Prigozhin and his companies were indicted by the United States Department of Justice for allegedly funding the Internet Research Agency and other entities involved in efforts to interfere with the U.S. political system. The charges included conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

In recent times, Prigozhin's activities and associations have sparked controversy and debate, and he and his businesses have been subject to various sanctions and legal actions in connection with their alleged involvement in disinformation campaigns and other activities.