According to the Russian civil aviation authorities, Prigozhin was on the passenger list of the plane that crashed, killing everyone on board.
Earlier, the Grey Zone Telegram channel, which is connected to Wagner, said that air defenses shot down Prigozhin’s private plane.
It carried three crew members and seven passengers on its flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
In June, Prigozhin was the leader of a failed uprising against the Russian military.
Sergei Surovikin, a senior Russian general, is said to have been fired from his position as head of the air force the same day as the crash.
Gen. Surovikin had not been seen in public since the rebellion but was known to get along well with Prigozhin.
According to reports, the plane crashed close to the Kuzhenkino town in the Tver region, around halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
According to Grey Zone, there were two explosions and two vapour trails heard by nearby residents before to the accident.
According to the Tass news agency, Prigozhin’s Embraer Legacy caught fire as soon as it touched down.
Less than 30 minutes had passed since the plane took to the air, it continued.
Emergency personnel are searching the scene as part of an investigation into the collision.
Eight bodies have been found, according to Ria, a different news source.
According to Grey Zone, Prigozhin’s second private plane touched down in the Moscow area without incident.
Wagner was established in 2014 by the 62-year-old mercenary chief, and it currently boasts roughly 25,000 fighters.
The gang has a history of cruelty and has been active in West Africa, Syria, and Ukraine.
On June 23 and 24, Prigozhin led the mutiny by pulling his forces out of Ukraine, taking control of Rostov on Don in southern Russia, and threatening to march on Moscow.
Following months of conflict over the crisis in Ukraine, the action was taken.
A compromise that allowed Wagner troops to transfer to Belarus or enlist in the Russian army ended the standoff.
Although Prigozhin himself consented to transfer to Belarus, he has appeared in public in Russia and released a film that appeared to show him in Africa. This suggests that he has been allowed to roam around without restriction.
Since the mutiny, however, a number of Russian observers have referred to him as a “dead man walking.”
In a video message on June 24, President Putin reacted angrily to his challenge to Russia’s defense establishment, calling it a betrayal and a knife in the back.
The agreement did not assure his safety.
“Revenge”, commented CIA director William Burns, “is a dish Putin prefers served cold” – or words to that effect.
Of course, none of this establishes that Prigozhin and his group were intended targets.
But given the circumstances, many people will be skeptical of any assertions that his death was an accident, even if they are proven.
If Prigozhin’s death was verified, US White House spokeswoman Adrienne Watson stated “nobody should be surprised.”
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