Putin expressed his sincere condolences to their families and vowed that the investigation into the crash would be thorough.
Archiv: Wagner / War Ministry / Kremlin power struggle in Russia June 2023 / plane crash 24-08-2023 / Wagner leadership with Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly dead
Mayday calls
If a mayday call cannot be sent because a radio is not available, a variety of other distress signals and calls for help can be used. Additionally, a mayday call can be sent on behalf of one vessel by another; this is known as a mayday relay.
Prigozhin‘s body taken to medical examiner‘s office as Kremlin remains silent
The bodies of those killed in the plane crash near Kuzhenkino, Russia, including Yevgeny Prigozhin and the commander of the Wagner PMC Dmitry Utkin, have been moved to the Tver Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination, ABC News has learned.
There has still been no comment from the Kremlin or the Russian Ministry of Defense on Wednesday’s crash.
Russian Legacy 600 crashes near Tver
After leveling off at 28,000 feet at 15:10 UTC, the aircraft continued in level flight at consistent speed until 15:19 UTC at which point the vertical rate decreases dramatically and the aircraft descends briefly before climbing to a maximum altitude of 30,100 feet before descending back to roughly 27,500 feet. It again climbs, reaching 29,300 feet before leveling off once again. It then descends, with the final data received at 15:20:14 UTC at an altitude of 19,725 feet. The altitude graph below shows the final 32 seconds of received altitude data.
Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin‘s plane appeared fine on radar until last 30 seconds
At 3:19 p.m. GMT, the aircraft made a “sudden downward vertical,” said Ian Petchenik of Flightradar24. Within about 30 seconds, the aircraft had plummeted more than 8,000 feet from its cruising altitude of 28,000 feet.
“Whatever happened, happened quickly,” Petchenik said.
Prigozhin plane crash: What we know so far
As of late Wednesday evening, Russian officials said that they had recovered eight bodies, though none had been named by that time. All were described as badly burned.
Some Russian outlets identified the plane’s tail number as RA-02795, which is believed to belong to Prigozhin. According to flight-tracking site FlightRadar24, a second plane linked to Prigozhin with the tail number RA-02878 departed Moscow shortly after the first, but returned to land after news of the crash broke. None of these reports have been officially confirmed.
IN BRIEF: Prigozhin listed as passenger on private jet that crashed north of Moscow
– The jet was carrying three crew (two pilots and a flight attendant) and seven passengers. They were all killed.
– No casualties were reported on the ground from the plane crash, a representative of the Bologoye District emergency service said
The plane’s destination
– The aircraft was heading from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport to St. Petersburg. It had received a permit for the use of air space.
– The plane was owned by the MNT-Aero company, which specializes in providing private jet services.
What we know about Russia plane crash that reportedly killed Prigozhin
The private jet was carrying seven passengers and three crew.
According to preliminary information, all 10 people on board were killed. All the bodies are said to have been recovered.
The Embraer Legacy – registered to one of Prigozhin‘s companies – caught fire on hitting the ground having reportedly been in the air for less than half an hour.
Giving a convicted felon an armed militia… Bad Idea! Wagner PMC is just a promo to what is about to happen here
Lukashenko: Wagner will not guard Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly stressed that the Wagner mercenary group will have no role in guarding Russian tactical nuclear weapons that are being transferred to his country.
A state-run news agency in Belarus cited Lukashenko as saying on Tuesday that a substantial amount of Russian nuclear weaponry has been moved into the country.
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The report said Lukashenko denied such views, saying, „It is our job. And I am personally responsible for the security of the weapons.“
Lukashenko says he and Putin, in a phone call on Saturday, discussed killing the mercenary leader.
Speaking in depth for the first time about what he said was his role in the negotiations between the Russian president and Mr. Prigozhin, Mr. Lukashenko said that he had convinced Mr. Putin “not to do anything rash,” assuring him that “a bad peace is better than any war.” Mr. Lukashenko’s version of the conversation, reported by Belarusian state news media, could not be verified independently, and the Kremlin did not immediately comment on it.
Murder of Yevgeny Nuzhin
On 15 November Mykhailo Podoliak, Ukrainian presidential advisor, said that Nuzhin had agreed to participate in prisoner exchange.
A source in Ukrainian army told BBC that Nuzhin was returned to Russia in exchange for twenty Ukrainian servicemen freed from Russian captivity. The source, as well as journalist Ramina Eshakzai, who interviewed Nuzhin, both opined that as soon as they could get Ukrainian soldiers in exchange, they did not care what happened to Nuzhin.
Ukraine war: Wagner chief Prigozhin defends brutal killing video
(14 November 2022)
Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin said unverified footage of Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, being struck with a sledgehammer was „a dog‘s death for a dog“.
The convicted murderer announced in September he had changed sides.
In the video he says he was hit on the head while walking in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and woke up in a cellar.
Mhesn Alabdullah’s cousin Hamadi Bouta, a Syrian army deserter, was savagely beaten to death and mutilated on camera by soldiers of the notorious Wagner Group in eastern Syria in 2017. Now his family wants justice
(December 22, 2021)
The snuff film Apostol took part in was filmed and uploaded in 2017, although it didn’t gain a wide viewership until two years later. Last week, it was cited by the European Union in its decision to sanction the Wagner Group as a whole, along with three companies and seven individuals connected to it, for “serious human rights abuses in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic (CAR), Sudan and Mozambique, which include torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings.” Brussels also named Wagner’s commander, Dmitry Utkin, a former GRU officer, as the man responsible for Bouta’s torture and the recording made of it.
Journalists say Russian mercenaries in Syria tortured, beheaded, and burned a deserter from Assad‘s army. For fun.
(November 20, 2019)
The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has published new evidence in the torture and beheading of a man in Syria, whose gruesome death was first revealed in a two-minute video released on June 30, 2017. At the time, observers speculated that the Russian-speakers pounding the man with a sledgehammer and chopping at his body with knives and shovels were possibly mercenaries from the “Wagner” private military company. Earlier this month, Novaya Gazeta acquired an additional two videos from the murder scene, and the newspaper says the new footage bolsters suspicions that Russian mercenaries were behind the killing.
Wagner chief Prigozhin speaks out after 24-hour mutiny
Speaking about the conditions of the deal that was reportedly done in order to bring the Wagner rebellion to a halt over the weekend, Prigozhin claims the group was „categorically against the decision to close Wagner on 1 July 2023 and to incorporate it into the defence ministry“.
Commanders refused to accept the request to sign contracts with the Russian ministry of defence, he adds. In exchange, he claims around 30 of his men „were killed by Russian attacks“ – the BBC hasn‘t verified this claim.
Nach Aufstand: Wagner-Chef dementiert Umsturzpläne
Der Chef der russischen Söldnereinheit Wagner, Jewgeni Prigoschin, hat in seiner ersten Wortmeldung nach dem missglückten Aufstand vom Wochenende dementiert, einen Machtwechsel in Moskau angestrebt zu haben. „Wir sind losgegangen, um Protest zu demonstrieren, nicht um die Obrigkeit im Land zu stürzen“, sagte der 62-Jährige in einer Sprachnachricht, die heute von seinem Pressedienst auf Telegram verbreitet wurde. Angaben zu seinem aktuellen Aufenthaltsort machte Prigoschin nicht.
Video shows Wagner boss leaving Russian military headquarters
Wagner private military company boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has left Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don in southwestern Russia, new video, posted to Telegram and geolocated and authenticated by CNN, shows. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reports.
Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
The abrupt about-face follows a rare, remarkable challenge to the Kremlin that threatened to plunge the country into crisis and destabilize its already stumbling war efforts in Ukraine.
The threat of civil war leaves the country – and the Putin regime – in a very different place Sunday than it had been just two days prior. And with Russia possessing the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, that instability has other nations on edge, prompting emergency meetings and high-level talks.
Kremlin reveals details of Wagner deal
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Prigozhin, a Saint Petersburg tycoon who made his initial fortune in catering, „will go to Belarus.“
He added that Wagner‘s fighters will not be persecuted, taking into account their efforts on the frontlines of the Ukraine conflict. Peskov explained that President Vladimir Putin‘s team „have always respected their exploits.“
PMC contractors who refused to take part in the mutiny – and whole units did not – will be allowed to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, Peskov stated.
Kreml bestätigt Deal mit Prigoschin
Die Vereinbarung sei vom belarusischen Staatschef Alexander Lukaschenko vermittelt worden, sagte Peskow. Dieser habe seine Hilfe angeboten, da er Prigoschin seit etwa 20 Jahren persönlich kenne. Putin habe dem zugestimmt.
Medvedev weighs in, saying that this is a „thought out and planned operation, the purpose of which is to seize power in the country“.
Wagner agrees to end ‘insurrection’ – Lukashenko
Evgeny Prigozhin agreed to halt his march on Moscow and avert “a bloodbath,“ the Belarusian president said
Prigozhin announces in a recorded message, „The moment has come when blood can be shed. We understand all the responsibility that Russian blood can be shed on one of the sides, we turn the columns and go in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan.“ #Wagner
BREAKING NEWS/REUTERS Wagner Group agrees to de-escalate, return to bases: Wagner Chief Yevegeny Prigozhin accepted Belarusian president Lukashenka‘s proposal to stop the Wagner movement in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions, and to avoid any bloodshed.
And just like that… Prigozhin has announced Wagner is pulling back to their base camps. Not sure if that means Rostov, Russia or back across the Ukraine border, but it‘s a huge reversal.
1/My question now is this: Has any part of Prigozhin‘s column diverted to Voronezh-45, which is one of the tactical nuclear storage facilities under the control of the 12th Directorate?
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4/Unlike strategic weapons, which require codes from the President, the Minister of Defense, and the Chief of the General Staff to launch, tactical weapons have only rudimentary PALs (Permissive Action Links) to secure them from unauthorized use.
Address to citizens of Russia
Therefore, any actions that split our nation are essentially a betrayal of our people, of our comrades-in-arms who are now fighting at the frontline. This is a knife in the back of our country and our people.
A blow like this was dealt to Russia in 1917, when the country was fighting in World War I. But the victory was stolen from it: intrigues, squabbles and politicking behind the backs of the army and the nation turned into the greatest turmoil, the destruction of the army and the collapse of the state, and the loss of vast territories, ultimately leading to the tragedy of the civil war.
12. A video shows the moment an oil refinery in Voronezh exploded. A helicopter appears to have flown over the area moments before.
7. Google traffic data shows that the M4 highway heading north from Voronezh towards Tula has been completely shut down.
Russian helicopters battle Wagner mercenaries rolling toward Moscow
Fighters from Yevgeny Prigozhin‘s private Wagner militia were in control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine, and were rapidly advancing northwards through western Russia.
A Reuters journalist saw army helicopters open fire at an armed Wagner column that was advancing past the city of Voronezh with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck.
Video: Russian army helicopters open fire on Wagner military convoy near Voronezh
A truck transporting a military vehicle of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia’s southern cities, near Voronezh, Russia, on June 24, 2023 in this still image taken from video.
MOD warns Wagner fighters against taking part in ‘armed coup’
On Saturday morning, media outlets reported increased military activity in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, with videos showing tanks and groups of soldiers moving on the streets.
Wagner Chief Prigozhin Appears in Videos at a Russian Military Headquarters
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary Wagner group, claimed to have control of several important military facilities in southern Russia in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Video verified by The New York Times shows that he had entered a key military complex on Saturday morning.
Wagner boss says his fighters have marched into Russia, Kremlin accuses him of armed mutiny
As the Wagner troops were said to be driving into the Russian city of Rostov, Mr Prigozhin said that his mercenaries were greeted by border guards.
He said young conscripts at checkpoints stood back and offered no resistance, adding that his forces „aren’t fighting against children.”
Wagner chief accuses Moscow of lying to public about Ukraine
(23.06.2023)
“What was the war for? The war needed for Shoigu to receive a hero star … The oligarchic clan that rules Russia needed the war,” he said.
“The mentally ill scumbags decided: ‘It’s OK, we’ll throw in a few thousand more Russian men as cannon fodder. They’ll die under artillery fire, but we’ll get what we want,’” Prigozhin continued.
While the warlord was careful not to directly attack the Russian president, Prigozhin did question several decisions made by Putin, including the Kremlin’s decision to exchange more than 100 captured Azov fighters for Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally of Putin.
Wagner chief says Ukraine never threatened to attack Russia
(23.06.2023)
In a video message, Prigozhin said: „We exchanged fire: we hit them, they hit us. This was happening all these long eight years, from 2014 to 2022.
„At some points, the number of strikes, the exchange of fire, was increasing, at others – it was decreasing. By February 24 [2022] there was nothing extraordinary.
„Now the Ministry of Defence is trying to deceive the public; trying to deceive the president and is telling the story that there was insane aggression from Ukraine and they [Ukraine] were going to attack us, together with the entire NATO bloc.
„The special operation that began on February 24 was launched for completely different reasons.“
Prigozhin claims purpose of Russia‘s war on Ukraine was gain promotion for Shoigu, not deter NATO
(23.06.2023)
According to Prigozhin, the war was orchestrated to fulfill Shoigu‘s aspirations, rather than to “de-militarize” or “de-nazify” Ukraine.
Additionally, Prigozhin asserted that the oligarchs, who currently hold de facto power in Russia, also had a vested interest in the war, and implied they were involved in the decision-making process.
‘Time is running out’ In a new video, Yevgeny Prigozhin directly disputes Russia’s main argument for its war against Ukraine
(23.06.2023)
In a new video released by his press service on Friday, Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Russia’s Defense Ministry deceived both Russian society and Vladimir Putin when it claimed the country faced an imminent threat from Ukraine in the leadup to February 2022.
On the contrary, Prigozhin said, the situation in the Donbas before the full-scale war was no different from the way it had been since 2014: Russian and Ukrainian troops were exchanging fire, but there was no “insane aggression” from Ukraine, and Ukraine had no plans to join NATO in an attack on Russia, said the catering tycoon.