Mysterious Plane Crash: Wagner Leader’s Body Identified by Distinctive Feature, Raising Bomb Suspicions (Watch)
The leader of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is said to have been identified by a distinctive missing finger after his plane crashed in the Tver region of Russia, with suspicions arising about a potential bomb onboard causing the explosion.
The injury to Prigozhin’s left hand reportedly occurred while he was serving a prison sentence in a penal colony, as indicated by the Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU.
A senior commander from the Wagner group reportedly recognized Prigozhin’s body by the unique injury, as well as identifying the second-in-command Dmitry Utkin. This development follows a preliminary US intelligence assessment that pointed to an intentional explosion as the cause of the crash. However, the Pentagon has not found any evidence linking the incident to a surface-to-air defense missile.
While Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, mentioned the intentional explosion, he refrained from offering further details or evidence during a press conference.
Western officials have suggested that Prigozhin may have been deliberately targeted, possibly due to a bomb placed onboard or intentional sabotage of the aircraft. An anonymous US official stated that it’s highly likely that Prigozhin was a target.
Reports emerged from Russian media outlets with Kremlin sources claiming that one or two bombs might have been planted on the plane. Unverified accounts mentioned that the bombs could have been positioned near the aircraft’s rear, close to the lavatory.
Stewardess Kristina Raspopova, 39, added to the speculation by posting on social media before takeoff that the flight was delayed due to last-minute repairs. This has led to speculation that a bomb might have been hidden onboard during this time, although it remains unconfirmed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the families of those onboard the jet, characterizing the incident as “serious mistakes.”
Details from the Telegram channel reported that Prigozhin’s body was officially identified, with a Wagner PMC commander identifying him based on the unique absence of a finger.
The founder of the Wagner military company and six other passengers were on the ill-fated private jet that crashed soon after departing from Moscow. While 10 bodies were found at the crash site, there has been no official confirmation of Prigozhin’s death. Some sources suggest he might have been aboard a second plane in the vicinity during the incident.
Among the passengers listed in the manifest were Prigozhin and his second-in-command, along with Wagner’s logistics chief, a fighter wounded by US airstrikes in Syria, and possibly a bodyguard.