Putin breaks silence on Prigozhin plane crash

Vladimir Putin has finally broke his silence

The private jet crashed north of Moscow and the Russian Civil Aviation Authority say that the controversial Wagner chief, Prigozhin, was on the passenger list.

A Wagner-linked Telegram channel reported that the plane was shot down by air defences.

The plane was en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, according to the TASS news agency.

Sky News report that the plane crashed in the Tver region, north of Moscow.

Yevgeny Prigozhin was once a close and trusted ally of Vladimir Putin, though in recent months he had become more critical of Putin's war in Ukraine, which Prigozhin was a central figure in.

Prigozhin publicly called out defence minister Sergei Shoigu and top general Valery Gerasimov over their handling of the Ukraine invasion.

Since news of the crash first emerged yesterday, many have questioned if Putin was behind Priozhin's reported death.

Now, Putin himself has broke his silence on the matter, calling Yevgeny Prigozhin a talented businessman and sending his condolences to the families of the dead.

In a televised speech, Putin also said investigators will look into the cause of the crash, although it will take some time.

Putin also appeared to reference Prigozhin's aborted mutiny in June, saying: "This was a person with a complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in life, but also sought to achieve the necessary results - both for himself and at time when I asked him to, for the common cause, such as in these recent months."

It has been noted that while Prigozhin's death has not yet been confirmed, Putin spoke about him in the past tense.

On 23 June 2023, Prigozhin used the Wagner Group to launch a rebellion against the Russian military leadership, accusing the Defense Ministry of shelling Wagner soldiers.

Wagner captured the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and headed for Moscow, however the rebellion was short lived with negotiations resulting in Wagner calling off the mutiny.

Prigozhin agreed to move to Belarus and criminal charges against him for rebellion were dropped.

Wagner mutineers were also told they would not be prosecuted if they agreed to either sign contracts with the Defense Ministry or move to Belarus.