Prigozhin's death seen as Kremlin's revenge

Putin remained silent as speculation swirled, addressing the BRICS summi via videolink without mentioning the crash

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants were presumed dead in a plane crash — widely seen Thursday as an assassination to avenge a mutiny that challenged President Vladimir Putin’s authority.

The founder of the Wagner military company and six other passengers were on a private jet that crashed Wednesday soon after taking off from Moscow, with a crew of three, according to Russia’s civil aviation authority. Rescuers found 10 bodies, and Russian media cited anonymous sources in Wagner who said Prigozhin was dead. But there has been no official confirmation.

At Wagner’s headquarters in St. Petersburg, lights were turned on in the shape of a large cross, and Prigozhin supporters built a makeshift memorial, piling red and white flowers outside the building Thursday, along with Wagner flags and candles.

Meanwhile, police cordoned off the field where the plane crashed a few hundred kilometers (miles) north of Moscow, as investigators studied the site, including debris from the plane. Vehicles were seen driving in to take away the bodies.

Several Russian social media channels reported that the bodies were burned or disfigured beyond recognition and would need to be identified by DNA. The reports were picked up by independent Russian media but the Associated Press was not able to independently confirm them.