At the location where a plane crash claimed the life of Russia’s most influential mercenary just nine days ago, a solemn black Wagner flag now waves next to a pile of stones, encircled by flowers. However, all traces of the private jet wreckage have been meticulously cleared.
The ill-fated flight carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, met a tragic end on August 23rd, resulting in the loss of all ten passengers, including two other prominent Wagner Group figures, Prigozhin’s four security personnel, and a crew of three.
At the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia’s Tver region, there is no remaining evidence of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet, as revealed in recent footage.
What remains is a makeshift stone memorial composed of four substantial boulders, paying tribute to the fallen mercenary leader, adorned with crimson carnations and a Wagner flag flying proudly on a pole crafted from a tree branch.
This distinctive flag features a white skull encircled by the words “PMC Wagner Group” in both English and Russian.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain shrouded in mystery. Local villagers near the scene initially reported that they heard a loud noise followed by the sight of the jet hurtling to the ground.
The crash occurred exactly two months after Prigozhin seized control of the southern city of Rostov in late June, marking the outset of a mutiny that sent shockwaves through President Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The Kremlin made an intriguing statement on Wednesday, suggesting that investigators are contemplating the possibility that Prigozhin’s plane was intentionally downed, marking the first explicit acknowledgment of the potential of an assassination.
