Kremlin says Prigozhin crash may have been ‘deliberate’

The Kremlin on Wednesday said the plane crash that killed the head of the mercenary Wagner Group could have been done deliberately.

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters “deliberate wrongdoing” is among the causes Russian investigators are considering in the crash last week that killed Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin, The Associated Press reported.

“It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version — you know what we are talking about — let’s say, a deliberate atrocity,” Peskov told reporters when asked about the investigation, according to Reuters.

Prigozhin was killed when a flight he was taking from Moscow to St. Petersburg went down under mysterious causes last week. All 10 people on board were killed in the crash.

The Wagner Group leader in July led a short-lived march against the Russian military, and speculation he could be assassinated has since run rampant.

U.S. officials, including President Biden, have openly hinted at the possibility that Putin could be behind Prigozhin’s death. The Kremlin has denied involvement in the crash.

“Now, naturally, there are many speculations over this plane crash and the tragic death of the passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin,” Peskov said Friday, according to state-run media outlet TASS.

The Associated Press contributed.