Prigozhin's plane downed by Russian air defense – FT

The plane, on board of which was the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin, was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft system.

This was reported by the Financial Times with reference to a knowledgeable Western official.

The FT's source could not confirm whether Prigozhin was on board but said: "Putin takes no prisoners."

Meanwhile, The Moscow Times, citing a source in the Russian government, reports that near the crash site of the Embraer ERJ 135 business jet, near Vladimir Putin's Valdai residence, there are four S-300 divisions guarding the residence.

"The plane fell literally 50 km from the residence. Look how it fell," says the source. "It was simply downed. The plane simply lost its wing."

"If Prigozhin was indeed on the plane that crashed, the reason for what happened to him must be sought in the June mutiny, which he himself called the "march of justice," another source close to the Kremlin said.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on Wednesday, August 23, a private Embraer Legacy 600 plane crashed in the Tver Oblast. It belonged to the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Earlier, the Russian mass media reported that the bodies found at the plane crash site were allegedly identified. Prigozhin and Utkin were allegedly among them.

We also reported that Prigozhin's plane could have been shot down by S-300 air defense systems that guard the residence of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on Valdai.

The Federal Air Transport Agency of the Russian Federation (Rosaviatsiya) has published the list of passengers of the Embraer Legacy 600 plane, which belonged to the head of Wagner PMV Yevgeny Prigozhin and crashed in the Tver Oblast. Prigozhin was one of the passengers, as was Utkin.

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