UPDATE: Leader of Private Military Company Wagner Reportedly Dead in Air Crash Amidst Niger Coup Crisis

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who headed Wagner, a private military company, is believed to have tragically lost his life in a plane crash.

The incident involved a private jet carrying a total of ten individuals, which crashed in the northern region of Moscow, Russia’s capital city.

According to the Russian Civil Aviation Authority, the aircraft, an Embraer, had seven passengers and three crew members on board. The flight was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

A journalist in Moscow informed Al Jazeera that unconfirmed reports from Russian media speculate that the aircraft might have been targeted by air defense systems.

Initial indications suggest that Prigozhin was either on the plane or was listed as a passenger.

However, there has been no official confirmation from his press secretary. Another jet that was in the air during this time changed course and returned to St. Petersburg.

Notably, Prigozhin had recently released his first video message following an unsuccessful mutiny attempt in June.

In the video, he appeared to be in Africa and discussed Russia’s aspirations for a “free” continent.

The video surfaced on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner Group, coinciding with ongoing concerns within Africa regarding a potential invasion of Niger.

Amid the coup situation in Niger, the individuals who led the coup had sought Russian assistance in case of a confrontation with troops from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)…[CONTINUE READING HERE]>>