Russians retrieve black boxes from Prigozhin’s crashed plane

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has obtained the flight data recorders from the plane belonging to Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin which crashed on 23 August. The Russian authorities say that Prigozhin was on board and was killed.

Source: Russia's Investigative Service

Quote: "During the initial investigative actions, the bodies of 10 victims were found at the crash site. Molecular genetic examinations are being carried out to establish their identities.

The investigators have seized the flight data recorders and are conducting a detailed examination of the scene. Items and documentation relevant to establishing all the circumstances of the crash are also being seized, and the necessary forensic examinations will be ordered."

Details: Following the crash, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case regarding the violation of the rules of safety and operation of a vehicle (Article 263 of the Criminal Code).

Background: 

• On the evening of 23 August, a small plane crashed in Russia’s Tver Oblast. The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, was listed as having been on board.
• The Telegram channel Grey Zone, which is close to the Wagner Group, claimed that Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane had been shot down by air defence fire. It was also reported that a terrorist attack on board is being considered as a line of enquiry regarding the crash of Prigozhin's plane.
• The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency posted a full list of the passengers on the plane that crashed in Russia’s Tver Oblast on the evening of 23 August. Yevgeny Prigozhin is on the list.
• Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin was taking revenge for the humiliation caused by the Wagner Group mutiny and ordered the assassination of their leadership.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had nothing to do with the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin in Russia.

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