Russian law enforcement officials have found the black boxes of an aircraft that crashed in Tver Region this week. Wagner Group founder Evgeny Prigozhin was apparently aboard the plane, the Investigative Committee said on Friday. The victims of the crash are yet to be identified, it added.
A total of 10 bodies were found at the crash site, the committee’s statement said. That figure corresponds to the number of passengers and crew members listed on the aircraft’s manifest, which included Prigozhin. DNA tests are currently underway to identify all the victims, according to the committee’s spokeswoman, Svetlana Petrenko.
Investigators are still searching the crash site, she said, adding that all the relevant data and evidence is being gathered to “detail all the circumstances of the air disaster.” The probe is still considering “all potential versions” of the incident, she added.
In the wake of the crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and pledged that the probe into the incident would be thorough. He also referred to Prigozhin as “a talented man” of “complicated destiny.”
The incident took place two months after the Wagner Group’s aborted mutiny against the Russian military. At that time, Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of attacking a Wagner base and sent a convoy of troops toward Moscow. The rebellion was ended through a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
As part of the agreement, Prigozhin agreed to disband much of Wagner and leave with the rest to Belarus and Africa. In exchange, charges against him in Russia were dropped.