A plane belonging to Wagner’s group crashed

It has been exactly a month since the death of Wagner boss Prigogine. Now there’s a plane crash in Mali – with Wagner mercenaries reportedly on board.

Exactly one month ago, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary force and former Putin confidant, died. The plane he was traveling in crashed and the circumstances are unclear. Now a transport plane has crashed in Mali – possibly carrying Wagner mercenaries. The British newspaper “Daily Mail” reported this.

The aircraft is a heavy transport aircraft of the Ilyushin Il-76 type developed in the Soviet Union. The accident took place near Khao Airport. Videos and images from the site show large black clouds of smoke rising from the engine. It appears to have caught fire shortly after take off. It is not yet clear whether the flight crew survived.

A local source in Mali said: “A white plane missed landing and crashed near the airport. It burst into flames shortly afterwards.” Initial reports suggest pilot error may have been the cause. Controversy has arisen that the plane was shot down.

There are conflicting reports as to whether members of Wagner’s crew were on board. Telegram channel VChK-OGPU said: “According to preliminary information, Wagner mercenaries may be on board.” According to the Daily Mail, sources in anti-government circles in Mali also said the plane was linked to Wagner. The Wagner Group is active in Mali and is at the service of the military junta.

Gray Zone, a Telegram channel said to be run by Wagner mercenaries, denied the accounts and said the plane had been chartered by local forces to transport supplies. Media reports say United Nations peacekeepers were using the plane at the time of the crash.

Prigozhin has long been considered a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. On August 23, he crashed his Embraer Legacy 600. Earlier, an attempted coup by Wagner’s mercenaries in June had been aborted at the last minute.