MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities on Sunday confirmed the death of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, putting to rest any doubts about whether the wily mercenary leader turned mutineer was on a plane that crashed Wednesday, killing everyone on board.
Genetic testing on the 10 bodies recovered at the crash site “conform to the manifest ” for the flight, Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. Russia’s civil aviation authority had said Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants were on the list of seven passengers and three crew members.
The Investigative Committee did not indicate what might have caused the business jet to plummet from the sky halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Prigozhin’s hometown.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A United States Marine Corps aircraft with 23 Marines aboard crashed on a north Australian island Sunday, killing at least three and critically injuring at least five during a multinational training exercise, officials said.
Three had been confirmed dead on Melville Island and five were flown in serious condition 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the mainland city of Darwin for hospital treatment after the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed around 9:30 a.m., a statement from the Marines said.
“Recovery efforts are ongoing,” the statement said, adding the cause of the crash was under investigation
Who’s afraid of Prigozhin and Wagner? Indian Punchline. Note: “Prigozhin was a dead man walking for staging such an idiotic act, after his security cover was withdrawn by the state.”
Experts See Signs of Sabotage in Crash FootageWall Street Journal. Lead story
Rus Officials Say Major Rus Offensive Coming; Ukr Tries Fails Capture Rabotino; Zaluzhny Warns US Alexander Mercouris, YouTube. Nice shout out, plus useful updates on Robotino and Putin’s full remarks on Prigozhin
Akhmetov Allocates 165M EUR Over 18 Months to Support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Civilians Modern Diplomacy. Micael T: “What do they say? Beware billionaires bearing gifts?”
No other option can be alternative to Black Sea Grain Initiative: Turkish foreign minister Anadolu Agency