Russia: 10 bodies from private plane crash in Tver Oblast taken for examination

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia

All 10 bodies found in the crash of a private jet, allegedly carrying Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, have been taken for examination, Russian media reported on August 24.

According to the Russian outlet Fontanka, the bodies were driven to a morgue of a forensic medical examination bureau in the city of Tver.

The Moscow Times reported that Prigozhin's phone was found at the crash site, although his body has not yet been identified.

The private Embraer Legacy aircraft crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in Tver Oblast while flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg on the evening of Aug. 23. The founder of the Wagner Group, who had launched a short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin in late June, is presumed dead in the crash.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Putin "almost certainly ordered the Russian military command to shoot down Prigozhin's plane." The warlord's death is yet to be confirmed by official sources, however.

While the cause of the crash is currently unknown, flight-tracking data indicates that in the last minutes of its flight, the plane made erratic climbs and descents, before dramatically dropping almost 2,500 meters per minute, after which the transmission of altitude data stopped.

Prigozhin supporters seen laying flowers outside of the former Wagner HQ.

The Russian Investigative Committee has initiated a "criminal case" following the plane crash due to the alleged violation of traffic safety rules and air transport operations.

Videos of the crash appear to indicate that the plane is registered to Prigozhin, as the plane's registration number matched his.

In the meantime, supporters of Wagner Group leader, who is believed to have been killed in a dramatic plane crash, have started laying flowers outside the former headquarters of the mercenary outfit in St. Petersburg. 

Makeshift memorials appeared outside the private military group's former headquarters around midnight Thursday, with footage showing mourners bringing flowers, candles and patches featuring Wagner’s skull logo.

Similar memorials were spotted in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, according to the news website Sota. At least one supporter staged a one-man picket in the city of Yaroslavl, the news website 7x7 reported.

"Guys, we just have no words right now," said one masked man, who claimed to be a member of Wagner, according to AFP journalists.

"Let's support Yevgeny Viktorovich [Prigozhin] and all our commanders. We need your support now."

While law enforcement in St. Petersburg did not interfere with the gathering, they did check the personal documents of mourners and journalists, according to Sota.

“I won’t be afraid to say that Yevgeny Prigozhin is a Russian hero,” a supporter who introduced himself as Arsen told the local Fontanka news website.

“He’s a man of his word. He’s done a lot not only in the course of the special military operation, [but] in defending Russia’s interests in the world, the Syrian campaign [and] in Africa,” he said.