Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has reportedly died after the passenger jet he was on crashed 300km north of Moscow in Russia’s Tver region.

This comes exactly two months after his ‘march of justice’ that saw him lead Wagner forces in a mutiny against the Russian state. The mutiny lasted only 48 hours and had no immediate effects on his military standing.

The Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA) confirmed that Prigozhin was on the passenger list, along with Wagner first commander Dmitry Utkin, when the jet disappeared from radar. The jet was carrying seven passengers and three crew members at the time.

First responders have reportedly found remains from all ten passengers, and Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations have since confirmed the deaths of all aboard.

According to Ian Petchenik of flight-tracking site, Flightradar24, the jet appeared fine until the final 30 seconds before it stopped transmitting data, during which it plummeted almost 2,500m from a cruising altitude of around 8,500m.

Social media posts show what is allegedly the jet moments before the crash falling nose-first out of the sky with a trail of smoke or vapour pouring from the back.

Telegram account Grey Zone, which has close links with Wagner, claims that Russian air defence forces shot down the jet. There has been no confirmation of this.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is yet to comment on the crash.

Photo: เยฟเกนี พริโกซิน (Yevgeny Prigozhin) by Prachatai available HERE and used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.