The British Daily Telegraph published a report by its Brussels correspondent, Joe Barnes, titled "Last Moments of Prigozhin Before the Plane Crash." Barnes states that the leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appeared just hours before his death in a plane crash in a video promoting the recruitment of more fighters for the group.
He adds that the promotional video aimed to recruit new fighters to participate in the group’s operations on the African continent. However, just a few hours later, Prigozhin was aboard a plane on a flight over the Russian capital, Moscow, when the aircraft suddenly descended from an altitude of about 7 kilometers, before disappearing from radar screens.
The report indicates that videos published on social media showed the plane falling uncontrollably, amid what appeared to be traces of smoke resulting from missile defense fuel, before crashing to the ground and igniting into a ball of flames. It reveals that Prigozhin's plane had been making consecutive flights between Moscow, Belarus, Saint Petersburg, and regions in Africa, but during its last flight, it ascended for only 12 minutes before the rapid descent.
The report cites aircraft data monitoring sites, noting that the plane fell vertically within 30 seconds, dropping from an altitude of nearly 7 kilometers to about 2.5 kilometers. The journalist continues that eyewitnesses reported hearing the sound of three explosions, two of which occurred before the plane's fall, and the third at the moment of impact with the ground. He notes that Wagner-related accounts on social media quickly confirmed that the plane had been shot down by air defense systems.
Barnes quotes aviation expert Chris Lomas from FlightRadar, who stated, "It is difficult to ascertain what caused the plane's fall." He adds: "What added more mystery to the incident was that another plane owned by Prigozhin was flying near the crash site and successfully completed the same flight from Moscow to Saint Petersburg at the same time, landing safely near Prigozhin's residence just about 8 minutes after the crash of the ill-fated aircraft."
