Chronology of the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin
After information circulated yesterday about the death of the Russian mercenary boss, many were curious about how the plane crashed and also the chronology of the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Embraer Legacy Private Jet Crash Chronology
The leader of the Russian mercenary group, Wagner Group, was allegedly killed in a plane crash in the Tver area, Russia on Wednesday (8/23) yesterday.
Russian emergency services reported the Embraer Legacy private jet crashed near the village of Kuzhenkimo in the Tver region en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
According to the TASS report, about half an hour after takeoff, the plane "caught fire" on impact.
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| Law enforcement officers work at the site of a plane crash near the village of Kuzhenkino. (Photo: AFP via GETTY IMAGES) |
FlightRadar24 flight tracking data showed the plane's transponder stopped transmitting altitude data at around 6:19 p.m.
According to FlightRadar24, it is likely that transmissions stopped due to "disturbances in the area." The plane itself has reached 28,000 feet.
In the final minutes of transmission, data showed the private jet made erratic up-and-down movements and at one point rose above 30,000 feet.
Also, read: Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers who crashed on Wednesday in Russia's Tver Region.
At 6:19 p.m., data showed the plane's descent rate was close to 8,000 feet per minute before transmissions stopped.
The plane was carrying 10 people, including three crew members. TASS reported that Embraer's passenger list listed Prigozhin's name.
"An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash, which occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, among the passengers was the name Yevgeny Prigozhin," TASS wrote, as quoted by CNN.
The operator that operates Embraer has released a passenger list of the plane. They include Sergey Propustin, Evgeniy Makaryan, Aleksandr Totmin, and Nikolay Matuseev.
There was also Valeriy Chekalov as Prigozhin's subordinate, Dmitriy Utkin as a trusted lieutenant since Wagner was founded, and Prigozhin himself.
According to preliminary information, all passengers were killed. So far, eight bodies have been recovered. However, authorities have not been able to identify the victims.
Prigozhin is a confidant of the Russian government who has fought alongside Wagner in Ukraine since the invasion broke out in February 2022.
Until the end of last year, Wagner's forces were Russia's main spearman. They paved the way for Kremlin soldiers to break into vital points in Ukraine.
But later, Wagner and the regular army began to fall apart. Prigozhin often ridiculed Russian soldiers and exposed the depravity of command on the ground that harmed Russia on the battlefield. Wagner even launched an uprising in Russia to overthrow the Kremlin's top military brass.
The uprising that caused an uproar in Russia ended in an agreement. Through the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin was ordered to go to Belarus if he did not want to be punished for his actions.