Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, is said to have been found in the wreckage of a plane that crashed in the Russian region of Tver, with claims claiming there was a 'bomb' on board. His body was purportedly recognized by a finger that was half gone.
According to the Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, Prigozhin sustained the injuries to his left hand while doing time in a prison colony.
Additionally, a senior Wagner commander was able to identify the body from the wound and his second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, based on his tattoos.
The Pentagon said there is currently no indication that a surface-to-air defense missile is to blame, despite a preliminary US intelligence assessment that the accident was caused by an intentional explosion.
At a Pentagon press briefing, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the Pentagon, made his statements without providing any further context or supporting documentation.
Ryder declined to comment on whether the event was part of an assassination plot, but Western sources have indicated that Prigozhin was "very likely" targeted, suggesting that there may have been a hidden bomb on board or that the jet had been deliberately sabotaged.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the director of Wagner
Prigozhin was'very likely' the target, according to an unnamed US official.
It happened at the same time as two Russian media sites with security contacts inside the Kremlin reported that the plane may have one or two bombs on board.
Unverified sources stated that the bombs had been positioned near the restroom at the back of an airplane.
Stewardess Kristina Raspopova, 39, revealed this before takeoff when she said on social media that her flight had been delayed because of'repairs' that had been made at the last minute. Unconfirmed, although it's plausible that a bomb was concealed on board during this period.
The body of Yevgeny Prigozhin was officially identified in the morgue by one of the PMC Wagner commanders, according to the Telegram channel. The absence of a finger was the primary indicator.
According to Russia's civil aviation authorities, a private plane carrying a crew of three and six passengers crashed on Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Moscow. The pilot was the founder of the Wagner military business.
Rescuers discovered 10 bodies, and anonymous Wagner sources told Russian media that Prigozhin had passed away. However, despite rumors that he might have been flying in a second jet that was nearby at the time, there has been no official confirmation.
A fighter injured by US airstrikes in Syria, Wagner's logistics director, Prigozhin and his second-in-command, as well as at least one potential bodyguard, were all listed on the passenger manifest.