Who else is there besides Prigoren?, Russian Aviation Administration Announces Passenger Information for Crashed Aircraft Passengers | Aircraft | Crash
On August 23rd local time, a private plane crashed in the Tver Oblast north of the Russian capital Moscow, causing 10 deaths, including 3 crew members and 7 passengers. TASS quoted the Russian Aviation Administration as reporting that Wagner Group founder Prigoren and commander Utkin, as well as several senior Wagner executives, were on the passenger list of the crashed plane.
According to reports from foreign media such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, as well as the Russian investigative organization Archive Center, the passenger list for the crashed plane includes:
Prigorn, founder of Wagner Group;
Utkin, Commander of Wagner Group, codenamed "Wagner";
Valery Chekalov, a senior assistant of Prigo, is reportedly responsible for managing Wagner's security department. He was sanctioned by the United States in July for "working for Prigo and providing ammunition";
Yevgeny Makaryan, who joined the Wagner Group in 2016, suffered a left leg injury while fighting in Syria;
Sergei Proust joined the Wagner Group in March 2015 and participated in the Second Chechen War, serving as a close guard in Prigo;
Nikolai Matuyev, relevant information has not been found yet. However, the Russian investigative organization "Archive Center" records information about a man named Nikolai Matusevic, who joined the Wagner Group in 2017 and worked as a gunman in Syria;
Alexander Totmin, code name "Tot", other information unknown.
There are three crew members on the flight, including Captain Alexei Levshen, Pilot Rustam Karimov, and Flight Attendant Christina Raspopova. At present, there is no detailed information on the three individuals mentioned above.
The Kremlin has not yet responded to the Tver state plane crash.
Russia: Criminal case has been filed for the plane crash
According to TASS News Agency, the News Office of the Russian Federal Investigation Commission announced that investigators have filed a criminal case for violations of traffic safety and air transportation operation rules after the Tver Oblast air disaster.
The notice stated, "The Investigation Bureau of the Russian Federal Investigation Commission has filed a criminal case for the air crash in Tver Oblast in accordance with Article 263 of the Russian Criminal Code."
TASS also reported that the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia released the names of all passengers and crew members on the Embraer plane that crashed in Tver Oblast, including Yevgeny Prigoren and Dmitry Utkin. There are five other senior executives from Wagner Group and three crew members on board.
The Air Transport Administration stated, "The Embraer-135 aircraft obtained airspace usage permits in accordance with prescribed procedures before taking off."
According to representatives from the Russian emergency department, search and rescue personnel have found the bodies of eight victims at the location of a private plane crash in Tver Oblast. He added that the search and rescue work is still ongoing.
Earlier on the 23rd, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that a Brazilian made plane had crashed near the town of Kurenkino in the state of Tver. According to preliminary reports, all 10 people on board have died. The Federal Air Transport Administration of Russia announced that it has begun investigating the air disaster.
According to a report on the Hong Kong 01 website, Embraer stated that it has learned that a Leicester 600 aircraft produced by the company has crashed in Russia. The company did not provide further information on the accident, but emphasized that it has always complied with international sanctions against Russia and has not provided after-sales maintenance for the aircraft since 2019.
According to the report, the Brazilian Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention Center issued a statement stating that according to international rules for investigating the air crash, Russia will lead the investigation into the accident, but Brazil can participate because the plane involved was manufactured by Brazil. However, the Russian authorities have not yet had any communication with the agency.
According to the Russian Free Media Network, experts are currently identifying the bodies of the deceased in the plane crash.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Prigoren's phone was found at the crash site. Qatar's Al Jazeera TV quoted a political source from Wagner as saying that the phone seemed to be next to a body.
