US ‘Believes Missile Inside Russia Likely Shot Down Plane With Wagner Boss, Prigozhin’ As Ukraine Denies Involvement

• The jet was said to have crashed in the Tver region, north of Moscow

The United States government has claimed that a surface-to-air missile inside Russia likely shot down the plane believed to be carrying the leader of mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin and nine other passengers on Wednesday.

This was confirmed to Reuters by US authorities, who spoke anonymously, adding that the information was still preliminary and under review.

SaharaReporters had reported how 10 people were killed in the private jet crash north of Moscow – with the Russian Civil Aviation Authority saying Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list.

READ ALSO: Ukraine Orders 12,000 People From 37 Towns And Villages To Evacuate As Russian Forces Look To Punch Through The Front Line With A Series Of Missile Strike

Seven passengers and three crew were on board the Embraer aircraft, which was en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, TASS news agency also reported.

The jet was said to have crashed in the Tver region, north of Moscow.

Prigozhin shared his first video address since his aborted June mutiny just a few days ago.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while reacting to Prigozhin’s death on Thursday, denied the involvement of his country.

‘We have nothing to do with this situation, that’s for sure. I think everyone knows who this concerns,’ he told reporters a day after a private jet on which Prigozhin was registered as a passenger crashed between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.