2023 Wagner Group plane crash
The aircraft involved in the crash, pictured in 2022 | |
| Crash | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 August 2023 |
| Summary | In-flight breakup |
| Site | Kuzhenkino, Tver Oblast, Russia 57°44′52″N 33°57′15″E / 57.74778°N 33.95417°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Embraer Legacy 600 |
| Call sign | RA02795 |
| Registration | RA-02795 |
| Flight origin | Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia |
| Destination | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Occupants | 10 |
| Passengers | 7 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 23 August 2023, an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet with ten people on board crashed near Kuzhenkino in Tver Oblast, approximately 100 kilometers (60 mi) north of its departure point in Moscow. Among the victims were Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin and Valery Chekalov, the key figures of the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded private military company. The crash prompted speculation that the jet was destroyed on the orders of Russian president Vladimir Putin, after Prigozhin had led the Wagner Group rebellion exactly two months prior.
Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed unusual altitude variations followed by a "dramatic descent" shortly before the plane crashed. Visual evidence suggested structural failure of the aircraft. Western intelligence reported that an explosion likely caused the airplane to crash.
The aircraft, manufactured by Brazilian company Embraer, had been associated with Prigozhin since 2018. It was barred from the United States due to sanctions imposed on Prigozhin after his involvement in the Russian interference in the 2018 United States elections.
While official Russian sources downplayed the crash, some intelligence agencies and international leaders suggested it was a politically motivated assassination. Prigozhin's previous criticism of the Russian Defense Ministry and open rebellion against Russian government were cited as potential motivations for foul play. The deaths of Prigozhin, Utkin, and Chekalov are among several suspicious Russia-related deaths since 2022.