Wagner chief Prigozhin and co-founder ‘killed’ in Russia plane crash as Putin at concert – Ukraine war LIVE

A private jet that crashed in the Tver region had Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on board, according to reports.

Prigozhin spearheaded a revolt during June 23-34 against the Kremlin, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said could have pushed the country into civil war.

After his failed mutiny, Prigozhin was given sanctuary in Belarus.

But according to reports from the TASS news agency, the Russian Civil Aviation Authority has said the warlord was on the list of passengers onboard a crashed plane.

Ukrainian forces have raised the national flag in the settlement of Robotyne in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, Kyiv’s military said on Wednesday, though it was not clear whether the entire community had been liberated from Russian forces.

“A historic day! Soldiers of the 47th Separate Mechanised Brigade set up the flag of Ukraine in the village of Robotyne, in one of the hottest destinations – Melitopol,” the brigade said in a post on its Telegram channel.

Kyiv seeks to recapture the strategic southern city of Melitopol as part of its counter-offensive against Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion.

A resurfaced clip shows US President Joe Biden joking that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin “should watch what he ate” after his attempted mutiny in Russia in June.

“If I were he I’d be careful what I ate. I’d keep my eye on my menu,” Biden said, in apparent reference to potential revenge poisoning of the Wagner boss for his role in the attempted coup last month. Biden made the remarks during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Helsinki last month.

Russian officials have reported that Prigozhin was on a private jet that crashed near Moscow on 23 August, killing all ten people onboard. However, his death has not yet been confirmed.

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin were on board the plane that crashed north of Moscow, the Russian Civil Aviation Authority has said.

Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian intelligence officer, is alleged to be a co-founder of the group who is near the top of the group’s command.

The UK Government is monitoring the situation closely after reports that Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash.

Russian authorities have said the mercenary chief was on the passenger list of the plane, which crashed more than 60 miles north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing all 10 on board.

Prigozhin mounted a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in June, over dissatisfaction about the treatment of his private military company, which has fought alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine.

His fate has been the subject of close scrutiny ever since after his apparent exile to Belarus, but reports have suggested he has appeared in Russia in recent months.

Prighozin made his first video appearance following the uprising this week, with the mercenary leader suggesting he was in Africa alongside Wagner fighters.

The private jet carrying three pilots and seven passengers that was travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg went down more than 60 miles north of the capital, according to officials cited by Russia’s state news agency Tass.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We are monitoring the situation closely.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen at a concert as reports circulated that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on a plane that crashed near Moscow, killing everyone onboard.

Footage showed Putin at an event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Soviet troops’ victory in the Battle of Kursk during World War II.

Below you can see more pictures of the Russian leader at the celebration event.

Russia’s “General Armageddon” is said to have been removed as the head of the air force – having not been seen in public since the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries against Moscow and military commanders at the end of June.

Sergei Surovikin, a former commander of Russia’s troops in Ukraine who has previously been awarded his nation’s top military award, has not been publicly sacked – but state media has published sources confirming the move. He was given in moniker thanks to the brutal tactics deployed in Syria’s civil war and had been seen as one of Russia’s most effective commanders.

General Surovikin – who is believed to have close tries to Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin – would be the most senior military figure to lose his place over the attempted uprising over 24 hours from 23 to 24 June. Russian President Vladimir Putin had reacted with fury to Mr Prigrozhin’s forces trying to march on Moscow to protest how Moscow’s military top brass were handling the invasion of Ukraine. President Putin said that the revolt would have tipped Russia into civil war, with it being the most significant threat to his leadership in years.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 has tracked the short journey of the private plane before the crash.

According to the site, the Embraer Legacy 600 jet travelled north west of Moscow at around 28,000ft before coming down.

Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen at a concert as reports circulated that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on a plane that crashed near Moscow, killing everyone onboard.

Footage showed Putin at an event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Soviet troops’ victory in the Battle of Kursk during World War II.

Russian officials have said Prigozhin – who led an attempted coup in Russia in June – was on a private jet that crashed in the Tver region on 23 August.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that ten people died in the crash.

Watch the full video below.