In a incident, a business jet traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg met a fatal end on Wednesday, resulting in the loss of all 10 individuals aboard, according to Russian emergency authorities. Among the listed passengers was Yevgeny Prigozhin, a prominent figure in the private military sector, although it remains unclear whether he was among the victims.

Reports circulating in the media, though yet to be officially confirmed, suggest that the ill-fated aircraft may have belonged to Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company.

Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation regulatory body, did confirm Prigozhin’s presence on the passenger list. However, at the time of reporting, it remains uncertain if he had indeed boarded the flight.

State news agency Tass cited emergency officials as revealing the composition of the onboard personnel, indicating that the plane carried a total of three pilots and seven passengers. The crash occurred in the Tver region, situated more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Moscow. Authorities have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, renowned for leading the private military entity Wagner, which collaborated with Russia’s regular armed forces in Ukraine, had previously mounted a brief armed uprising against the Russian military hierarchy in late June. Subsequently, the Kremlin announced his exile to Belarus, providing his fighters the options of retiring, accompanying him to Belarus, or enlisting in the Russian military.

The specific aircraft involved in the tragedy is identified as the 2007 Embraer Legacy 600 business jet, bearing registration number RA-02795 and belonging to Yevgeny Prigozhin. This aircraft was reportedly downed by anti-aircraft fire from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the Bologovsky district of the Tver region.

Presently Confirmed Details:
The crash resulted in the loss of seven lives. Disturbingly, witnesses in the vicinity reported hearing two separate explosions prior to the plane’s crash, a fact corroborated by the appearance of contrails in the sky, as evidenced in video footage, and affirmed by eye witnesses on the ground.