Russia's Prigozhin is dead in plane crash, Wagner group confirms

Planemaker says it's compliant with sanctions on Russia

Later, after the incident, Brazilian planemaker Embraer said it was compliant with all international sanctions imposed on Russia.

"Embraer has complied with international sanctions imposed on Russia," a company spokesperson said.

Flightradar24 online tracker showed that the Embraer Legacy 600 (plane number RA-02795) said to be carrying Prigozhin, had dropped off the radar at 6:11 pm (1511 GMT).

An unverified video clip posted to social media showed a plane resembling a private jet falling out of the sky toward the Earth.

The Legacy 600 entered service in 2002, according to the website International Aviation HQ, with almost 300 produced until production ceased in 2020.

There is only one recorded accident involving a Legacy 600, which occurred in 2006 when it crashed into a Gol 737 on its way from the Embraer factory in Brazil to the United States, International Aviation HQ said.

Despite damages to the aircraft, the pilot landed the plane and there were no deaths or injuries.

A subsequent inquiry attributed blame to the Legacy's crew rather than any mechanical failure, the website said.

US, Ukraine reaction

The possible death of Wagner chief Prigozhin in a plane crash would not be a surprise given his falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior White House official said.

"We have seen the reports" of the crash, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement on Wednesday.

"If confirmed, no one should be surprised," she said.

"The disastrous war in Ukraine led to a private army marching on Moscow, and now - it would seem - to this."

The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident, in which a private aircraft plunged to the ground northwest of Moscow.

Meanwhile, a senior aide to the Ukrainian presidency said that the crash was a signal from the Kremlin.

"The demonstrative elimination of Prigozhin and the Wagner command two months after the coup attempt is a signal from Putin to Russia's elites ahead of the 2024 elections. 'Beware! Disloyalty equals death'", Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak wrote on social media.

The exiled leader of the opposition of Belarus, where some Wagner fighters moved after their short-lived mutiny in Russia, said that no Belarusian would miss Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is feared dead in a plane crash.

"The criminal Prigozhin won't be missed in Belarus. He was a murderer and should be remembered as such. His death might dismantle Wagner's presence in Belarus, reducing the threat to our nation and neighbours," Belarusian opposition chief Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said on social media.