Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner mercenary group, was among people on board a jet that crashed in Russia, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority has said.
"The plane that crashed in the Tver Region listed Yevgeny Prigozhin among its passengers, (Russia's aviation agency) Rosaviatsia said," state news agency TASS reports.
Ten people died in the crash, emergency officials said. It wasn't immediately clear if Prigozhin was among those killed.
The authorities have launched an investigation into the crash, according to the news agency. The business jet that crashed was traveling from the capital Moscow to St. Petersburg.
US President Joe Biden has been briefed about the private jet crash in Russia on Wednesday, the White House said.
Armed rebellion
The possible death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash would not be a surprise, a senior White House official said.
"We have seen the reports" of the crash, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement. "If confirmed, no one should be surprised," she said.
Prigozhin made headlines in June when he launched an “armed rebellion” against the Russian leadership before quickly aborting it.
The Wagner group has been operating in several countries in Africa especially in the Sahel where armed groups unleash violence in recent years.
The news of the plane crash involving Yevgeny Prigozhin comes just days after his video address was posted on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner group. It was his first such address since leading the short-lived mutiny
Prigozhin was seen standing in a desert area in camouflage and with a rifle in his hands. In the distance, there are more armed men and a pickup truck.
