Ten people on board the plane were reportedly killed when the plane crashed in Tver, about 100 miles northwest of Moscow, according to Russian state media.
Russian emergency authorities are investigating the crash, which happened as the plane was traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg, according to the Russian state news service TASS.
The Hill has not confirmed the authenticity of the reports, nor has any other independent outlets.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that if the reports are found true, “no one should be surprised.”
The White House also said that President Biden has been briefed on the reported plane crash.
The crash comes two months after Prigozhin’s so-called “March of Justice,” a short-lived armed rebellion that aimed to topple Moscow’s military leadership.
Prigozhin was later exiled to Belarus — in a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in exchange for terrorism charges against Prigozhin being dropped — but Biden administration officials publicly warned that the Wagner chief could still be targeted by Moscow.
Prigozhin’s fate is still unknown, with Russian independent news outlet Readovka reporting that he could be on another plane.
“Previously, for the purpose of secrecy, the businessman regularly confused everyone,” the outlet posted on Telegram. Several Russian sources said another business jet belonging to Prigozhin had landed near Moscow.
If Prigozhin is in fact dead, however, the news would only pour gasoline on the fire for speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin got revenge on the Wagner chief over the June rebellion.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
