Wagner chief Prigozhin and co-founder ‘killed’ in Russia plane crash as Putin at concert - Ukraine war LIVE

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is thought to be among 10 people killed in a plane crash in Russia.

Footage shows the flaming wreckage after a private jet came down near Moscow last evening.

The plane carrying three pilots and seven passengers was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg, according to officials cited by Russia's state news agency Tass.

Prigozhin was on the passenger list for the plane, but it wasn't immediately clear if he was on board.

As the news about the crash was breaking, Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke at an event commemorating the Battle of Kursk, hailing the heroes of Russia’s “the special military operation” in Ukraine.

The Wagner chief’s fate has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted a short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leadership in late June.

The Kremlin said the founder of the Wagner private military company, which fought alongside Russia's regular army in Ukraine, would be exiled to Belarus.

But the mercenary chief has since reportedly popped up in Russia, leading to further questions about his future.

Key Points

• Wagner chief ‘onboard’ crashed plane

• Russia's 'General Armageddon' reportedly dismissed after vanishing in wake of Wagner uprising

• ‘No one should be surprised’ - experts react to reports of plane crash

• Biden briefed on jet crash

• ‘It was only a matter of time’ before warlord’s death - Russian expert

• Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? Wagner Group mercenary chief feared dead in plane crash

• Ukrainian troops evacuate civilians from Robotyne as soldiers gain foothold

Where did plane crash?

08:35 , Matt Mathers

The plane Prigozhin is reported to have been flying on was a private business jet - an Embraer Legacy 600, registration number 02795.

The aircraft is 26.3m long, has a wingspan of 21.1m and a top speed of 528mph. It has a range of nearly 4,000 miles can carry 13-14 passengers and usually has two crew members on board.

It crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino, northwest of Moscow, during a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg.

Prigozhin likely ‘taken out’ by Putin - former MI6 chief

10:12 , Matt Mathers

“All indications” suggest Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was “taken out” by Vladimir Putin, the former MI6 Chief said, Zander Butler reports.

Sir John Sawyers, 68, who served as Chief of the MI6 between 2009 and 2014, said Putin had “reasserted his control” and was making it clear to Russians he wasn’t going to “brook any challenge”.

It comes as Prigozhin, who launched a coup against Putin in June, was presumed dead after he was named as a passenger on a private jet that crashed north of Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Sir John said: “All the indications point to the fact Putin has taken him out. He has reasserted his control.

“He’s making clear to everyone inside and outside of Russia that he’s not going to brook any challenge. If there’s a slim chance that he’s not dead and he wasn’t on that plane, he will be soon.”

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

09:56 , Matt Mathers

Once a businessman with a catering empire, Yevgeny Prigozhin manoeuvred himself into a position so powerful that as Russia’s war in Ukraine progressed, he could openly question his ally’s strategy.

The owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, the mercenary force that has fought some of the Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine – most notably the drawn-out pursuit of Bakhmut – this summer the 62-year-old stepped into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his country’s military leadership.

Ellen Knickmeyer, Joe Sommerlad and Jane Dalton take a closer look at the man dominating the headlines:

All we know about Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin feared dead in plane crash

Putin speaks at BRICS summit

09:40 , Matt Mathers

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday thanked South African president Cyril Ramaphosa for handling the summit of the BRICS group of nations and for his efforts to expand the bloc.

BRICS has decided to invite six countries - Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - to become new members of the group, which currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Putin was speaking via video link at the closing news conference of the three-day summit held in Johannesburg. It was the first time he spoke publicly after a plane reported to be carrying Wagner chief Prigozhin crashed northwest of Moscow.

Biden suggests Putin may have been behind plane crash

09:20 , Matt Mathers

US president Joe Biden has suggested the Kremlin may be responsible for bringing down the plane, saying not much happens in Russia “that Putin’s not behind”.

Prigozhin supporters claimed on pro-Wagner messaging app channels that the plane was deliberately downed, although such claims could not be independently verified.

Numerous opponents and critics of Putin have been killed or gravely sickened in apparent assassination attempts.

Watch: Prigozhin’s last video before plane crash

09:05 , Matt Mathers

This is the final video posted by Prigozhin before he was reported to have been killed in a plane crash northwest of Moscow.

In the video, Prigozhin can be seen toting an assault rifle and wearing military fatigues, with his comments suggesting the clip was shot in an unnamed African country.

The Wagner boss said during the clip that he is recruiting “strongmen” and said the group will “fulfil the tasks that were set” by the Russian government.

Watch it in full below@

Ukrainian official eviscerates Lars von Trier for ‘Russian lives matter’ post: ‘Siding with the executioner’

08:50 , Matt Mathers

Filmmaker Lars von Trier has come under fire from the Ukrainian government after saying that “Russian lives matter also” on social media.

The Danish auteur is known for directing controversial films such as Antichrist, Dogville, and The Idiots, many of which are known for their violent and sexually explicit content.

Tom Murray reports:

Ukrainian official eviscerates Lars von Trier for ‘Russian lives also matter’ post

‘Important not to jump to conclusions’ on plane crash - UK government minister

08:20 , Matt Mathers

Schools minister Nick Gibb said “it’s important not to jump to conclusions” following reports that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group died in a plane crash.

He told Sky News: “We only heard about this, it only happened a few hours ago. We are monitoring the position. It’s important not to jump to conclusions. We are working with our allies, and as soon as we have assessed the situation the government will of course have more to say on the matter.”

It was put to him earlier on Times Radio that this may be further evidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin is not the kind of person deals can be made with, including to end the war in Ukraine.

Mr Gibb said: “We do know that Putin engaged in an illegal invasion of Ukraine. He’s subject to a warrant for war crimes.

“So we know what kind of person Putin is. What we are doing as a British government with our allies is supporting the effort in Ukraine to defeat the Russians in this illegal invasion with billions of pounds of aid to Ukraine in their military efforts to defend their country.”

Black body bags carried away from crash site

08:05 , Matt Mathers

Black body bags were removed by investigators at the crash site of the plane believed to have been carrying Prigozhin early on Thursday morning.

Part of the plane’s tail and other fragments lay on the ground near a wooded area where forensic investigators had erected a tent.

Mourners left flowers and lit candles near Wagner’s offices in St Petersburg early on Thursday.

Kremlin remain silent on reports of Prigozhin death

07:47 , Matt Mathers

The Kremlin remains silent on reports that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash near Moscow.

There has been no official comment from Russian president Vladimir Putin or other senior officials, including at Russia’s defence minstry.

A Telegram channel linked to Wagner, Grey Zone, has pronounced Prigozhin dead, however, and hailed him as a hero and a patriot who it said had died at the hands of unidentified people it called "traitors to Russia."

Prigozhin seen laughing about death: ‘We’ll all go to hell’

07:22 , Arpan Rai

A video showing Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s thoughts on death has been shared on a Telegram channel linked to the mercenary group, just hours after its chief and co-founder were feared to have died in a plane crash.

Prigozhin, a former prison convict and one of Vladimir Putin’s closest associates until he launched a failed military coup in June, is believed to have died in the plane crash between Moscow and St Petersburg.

The Grey Zone Telegram channel, which provides both official and unofficial updates on Wagner activities, hailed Prigozhin as a hero and a patriot who died at the hands of unidentified “traitors to Russia” earlier on Wednesday.

Prigozhin seen laughing about death in video: ‘We’ll all go to hell’

Putin had just visited military headquarters overthrown by Wagner in coup, says UK MoD

07:12 , Arpan Rai

Russian president Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to the Southern Military District headquarters which Wagner fighters had briefly taken control of during the coup, the British Ministry of Defence said today.

Situated in Rostov-on-Don, approximately 160km from the frontline, the headquarters hosted Putin last week on Saturday, the ministry said.

The HQ hosts military staff running the war in Ukraine.

“Putin held a meeting with senior officers, including Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov who continues to command the operation in Ukraine,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

The Russian president “highly likely wishes to project his authority and to portray the senior military command as functioning as usual”, it added.

Wagner mercenary leader, Russian mutineer, Putin’s chef: Many sides of Yevgeny Prigozhin

07:02 , Arpan Rai

Yevgeny Prigozhin‘s fate has been entwined with the Kremlin for decades — as a trusted government contractor, and the head of the Wagner mercenary army that fought in Ukraine and has been blamed for doing Russia’s dirty work in Syria and Africa.

But when he turned his men toward Moscow two months ago, many inside Russia and beyond started wondering just how long he could last after drawing the fury of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It was reported that Prigozhin cut a deal with Putin and the leader of Belarus for a safe haven for himself and the men involved in the rebellion. He was reported to pop up periodically in Russia, and appeared in a recruitment video earlier this week.

But then on Wednesday Russia’s civil aviation agency said he was aboard a plane that crashed north of Moscow, killing all 10 people on board.

Read more about him here:

Wagner mercenary leader, Russian mutineer, Putin's chef: The many sides of Yevgeny Prigozhin

Mystery behind ‘Yevgeny Prigozhin’ named on passenger list

06:46 , Arpan Rai

Several experts have speculated that all may not be as it seems with the crash of a private jet on Wednesday carrying a passenger named “Yevgeny Prigozhin”, even after Russia appeared to confirm the death of the Wagner mercenary group boss.

Russia’s air traffic authority confirmed Prigozhin was named in the passenger list for the flight and Vladimir Rogov, a Russia-appointed official in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine, said he talked to Wagner commanders who also confirmed that Prigozhin was aboard, as was Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin’s close aide whose call sign – Wagner – became the company’s name.

But Keir Giles, a Russia expert with the international affairs think tank Chatham House, urged caution about reports of Prigozhin’s death. He said “multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels”.

Flight tracking data showed a private jet that Prigozhin had used previously took off from Moscow on Wednesday evening and its transponder signal disappeared minutes later.

Another private jet believed to be right behind the downed one took a U-turn, according to unverified flight tracking data.

Seven injured in Russian airstrike in Ukraine’s Dnipro

06:09 , Arpan Rai

An early morning missile strike injured seven people in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region Serhiy Lisak said today.

Three men and four women were among the wounded, he said.

What was Vladimir Putin doing as Wagner chief rival ‘killed’ in plane crash?

05:50 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin was at a concert hailing the “heroes” of Russia’s Ukraine invasion and marking a Second World War battle as a plane thought to be carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin crashed, killing all those on board.

The Russian president was filmed making a speech at the concert commemorating the victory of Soviet troops in the 1943 Battle of Kursk on the 80th anniversary.

Video footage suggested he handed out military honours at the event in Kursk, not far from the Ukrainian border in southwest Russia.

What Vladimir Putin was doing as Wagner chief rival ‘killed’ in plane crash

Russia says three Ukrainian drones downed over Russian regions

05:40 , Arpan Rai

Russian air defence systems shot down three Ukrainian drones over Russian regions in the early hours today, its defence ministry claimed.

Of these, two drones were downed over the Bryansk region that borders Ukraine and one over the Kaluga region that is closer to Moscow.

Moscow has been under attack from Ukrainian drones for one week straight with many of them appearing to target Moscow’s city centre, though they have mostly been downed by Russia’s air defence systems without any casualties.

Ukraine does not typically take responsibility for attacks targeting Russian soil or the occupied Crimean peninsula, though Ukrainian officials have often lauded these attacks.

05:00 , Matt Drake

A raid by Russian security services has revealed the colourful inside of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s lavish mansion in St Petersburg.

A wardrobe full of wigs, gold bars and a stuffed alligator were among the many bizarre finds in photos and footage published by pro-Kremlin media outlet Izvestia.

Officials are also said to have found assault weapons, ammunition and even a photograph allegedly showing the severed heads of the Wagner leader’s enemies.

A lengthy indoor swimming pool complete with a bathing area, slides and even a jacuzzi can also be seen in the photographs, with the rooms lit up with what appear to be glass chandeliers.

Read Eleanor Noyce’s report below.

Wigs, gold bars and pictures of severed heads: Inside Wagner boss’s lavish mansion

Prigozhin’s comments on death made public: ‘We will all go to hell’

04:13 , Arpan Rai

A Telegram channel linked to the Wagner mercenary group has published Yevgeny Prigozhin’s comments on his “inevitable” death.

The channel had pronounced him dead and hailed him as a hero and a patriot who it said had died at the hands of unidentified people it called “traitors to Russia.”

“‘We will all go to hell, but we will be the best in hell,’ sums up Yevgeny Prigozhin,” the channel said today in a post citing excerpts from an old interview.

It also cited remarks on death by the Wagner chief’s close associate and co-founder of the group Dmitry Utkin. “Death is not the end, it’s just the beginning of something else,” the channel said in a post.

Prigozhin’s death would leave the Wagner Group, which incurred Putin’s wrath in June by staging an abortive mutiny against the army’s top brass, leaderless and raise questions about its future operations in Africa and elsewhere.

Ukrainian intelligence says it lured Russian helicopter to land in Ukraine

04:00 , Matt Drake

Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency deliberately lured a Russian military pilot to land his Mi-8 helicopter at a Ukrainian airfield, a spokesman said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Fighterbomber, a popular Russian pro-war Telegram channel focused on aviation, said it had information that the helicopter had got lost and accidentally landed in Ukraine “a couple of weeks ago”.

In April, Ukraine’s domestic security service accused a number of Ukrainian military personnel of treason after what it said was an unsuccessful attempt to lure a Russian pilot to land at a Ukrainian air base, which led to a lethal Russian missile strike on that location in July 2022.

Speaking on Wednesday, Ukrainian spokesman Andriy Yusov said: “This was a GUR operation. The aircraft moved according to the plan.”

Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda cited unnamed intelligence sources as saying the agency worked for over six months to convince the pilot to cooperate and fly the aircraft to Ukraine.

The report said the helicopter landed in eastern Ukraine with the pilot. Two other crew members who were unaware of the plan were subsequently "liquidated".

EU military chief casts doubt on Ukraine regaining territory – report

03:50 , Arpan Rai

The European Union’s military leadership has expressed doubts that Ukraine will regain any territory lost in the war with Russia, reported German newspaper Die Welt.

“It remains questionable whether Ukraine‘s full sovereignty can be restored with the resources available,” said Robert Brieger, chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), the highest military body in the EU which is composed of the 27 member states.

Regarding the Ukraine’s counter-offensive, which has been ongoing since June, Mr Brieger said he would be “cautious to expect a breakthrough of the Ukrainian forces through the Russian defence lines.”

Ukraine shares footage of destruction of Russian missile defence system in Crimea

03:00 , Matt Drake

Ukraine has shared footage purporting to show the destruction of a Russian missile defense system in annexed Crimea.

The video, posted on the offical Telegram channel of the Ukrainian MoD’s intelligence department, shows an aerial view of a huge explosion.

Ukraine said the explosion took place near the village of Olenivka.

“The explosion completely destroyed the system, its missiles and personnel,” Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency said in a statement, which was accompanied by the video.

The claims and footage are yet to be independently verified.

Watch the video below.

Ukraine shares footage of destruction of missile defence system in Crimea

UK security forces believe Russian FSB downed Prigozhin jet

02:25 , Josh Marcus

British security officials believe Russia’s FSB intelligence service shot down Wagner mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet on orders from Vladimir Putin, according to The Telegraph.

“Of course it’s Putin,” one source told the paper. “Putin as a leader cannot afford to be humiliated in the way that he was. Putin functions on two things: Loyalty above talent... and the consequence of betrayal.”

Who is fellow passenger Dmitry Utkin?

02:00 , Matt Drake

Dmitry Utkin was reportedly onboard a jet that crashed with Yevgeny Prigozhin.

He is listed by the European Union as the founder of the Wagner group which Mr Prigozhin was the leader of.

The group is said to have been named after his call sign and it was a tribute to one of Hitler's favourite composers.

Mr Utkin was covered in Nazi tattoos including a swastika and SS insignia.

He is said have been ruthless and used fear to maintain power.

Mr Utkin was lieutenant colonel in the GRU military intelligence service and deployed to Chenya on two occassions. Also, he has been accued of war crimes.

Other passengers on Prigozhin jet named by Russian officials

01:33 , Josh Marcus

Russian aviation officials have named the other people onboard the private jet crash that’s believed to have killed Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner founding commander Dmitry Utkin on Wednesday.

Sergey Propustin, Evgeniy Makaryan, Alexander Totmin, Valeriy Chekalov and Nikolay Matuseev were on the flight, according to Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia, as were pilot Aleksei Levshin, co-pilot Rustam Karimov and flight attendant Kristina Raspopova.

Putin sending 'very loud message' says MP

01:00 , Matt Drake

Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton Alicia Kearns has commented on reports of a plane crash in the Tver region.

There have been numerous reports claiming that Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a private jet crash.

Many have speculated that Vladmimir Putin could be behind the crash after Mr Prigozhin launched a failed coup against the Kremlin in June.

Ms Kearns, who is also Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee said: "The speed at which the Russian Govt has confirmed Yevgeny Prigozhin was on a plane that crashed on a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg should tell us everything we need to know.

"Reports Russian Air Defence shot down the plane suggests Putin is sending a very loud message."

Prigozhin has made plenty of enemies – including Putin. This is the result

Wednesday 23 August 2023 23:59 , Sam Rkaina

Kim Sengupta writes: It is a terminally violent twist – perhaps to have been expected, but staggering nevertheless – to one of the most astonishing episodes in recent history. Yevgeny Prigozhin, who attempted a coup against Vladimir Putin, is reported to have been killed in a plane crash in Russia.

If the chief of the mercenary group, Wagner, was indeed among the ten passengers said to have died when the private jet went down in the Tver oblast near Moscow, then the immediate suspicion would be that this was assassination by the Kremlin.

In the course of 24 hours of armed mutiny, two months to the day ago, Putin had accused Prigozhin of treachery and then pardoned him. The two men even had tea together soon afterwards. Now, it seems, retribution may have come in the form of a dish served cold.

According to Rosavista, the Russian aviation authority, Prigozhin was one of the names on passenger manifest of the Embraer jet RA-02795. According to some reports, Dmitry Utkin, one of the founder members of the group whose call sign, Wagner, became its name, is also among the dead.

Click here for Kim’s full analysis.

Who is Russia’s ousted air force chief ‘General Armageddon’?

Wednesday 23 August 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina

Russian general Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” for his purported ruthlessness in battle, has reportedly been dismissed from his role as commander of the country’s Aerospace Forces.

He has been replaced by Colonel General Viktor Afzalov, currently head of the main staff of the air force, state news agency RIA Novosti states.

Surovikin is being transferred to a new job and is currently on “short-term leave”, Russian daily newspaper RBC adds.

Click here for the full story.

Ukraine forces raise national flag in Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region

Wednesday 23 August 2023 22:00 , Sam Rkaina

Ukrainian forces have raised the national flag in the settlement of Robotyne in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, Kyiv’s military said on Wednesday, though it was not clear whether the entire community had been liberated from Russian forces.

“A historic day! Soldiers of the 47th Separate Mechanised Brigade set up the flag of Ukraine in the village of Robotyne, in one of the hottest destinations – Melitopol,” the brigade said in a post on its Telegram channel.

Kyiv seeks to recapture the strategic southern city of Melitopol as part of its counter-offensive against Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion.

Biden quips Prigozhin should be ‘careful what he ate’ in resurfaced clip

Wednesday 23 August 2023 21:57 , Matt Drake

A resurfaced clip shows US President Joe Biden joking that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin “should watch what he ate” after his attempted mutiny in Russia in June.

“If I were he I’d be careful what I ate. I’d keep my eye on my menu,” Biden said, in apparent reference to potential revenge poisoning of the Wagner boss for his role in the attempted coup last month. Biden made the remarks during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Helsinki last month.

Russian officials have reported that Prigozhin was on a private jet that crashed near Moscow on 23 August, killing all ten people onboard. However, his death has not yet been confirmed.

Watch the video below.

Biden quips Prigozhin should be ‘careful what he ate’ in resurfaced clip

Prigozhin and Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin were both on board, Russian CAA says

Wednesday 23 August 2023 21:15 , Sam Rkaina

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin were on board the plane that crashed north of Moscow, the Russian Civil Aviation Authority has said.

Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian intelligence officer, is alleged to be a co-founder of the group who is near the top of the group’s command.

UK Government closely monitoring reports of Wagner chief’s death in plane crash

Wednesday 23 August 2023 21:10 , Sam Rkaina

The UK Government is monitoring the situation closely after reports that Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash.

Russian authorities have said the mercenary chief was on the passenger list of the plane, which crashed more than 60 miles north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing all 10 on board.

Prigozhin mounted a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in June, over dissatisfaction about the treatment of his private military company, which has fought alongside Russia’s regular army in Ukraine.

His fate has been the subject of close scrutiny ever since after his apparent exile to Belarus, but reports have suggested he has appeared in Russia in recent months.

Prighozin made his first video appearance following the uprising this week, with the mercenary leader suggesting he was in Africa alongside Wagner fighters.

The private jet carrying three pilots and seven passengers that was travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg went down more than 60 miles north of the capital, according to officials cited by Russia’s state news agency Tass.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We are monitoring the situation closely.”

Joe Biden reacts to Wagner boss Prigozhin's reported death in plane crash

Wednesday 23 August 2023 21:00 , Sam Rkaina

More pictures of Putin at event while plane crashed

Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:45 , Sam Rkaina

Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen at a concert as reports circulated that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on a plane that crashed near Moscow, killing everyone onboard.

Footage showed Putin at an event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Soviet troops’ victory in the Battle of Kursk during World War II.

Below you can see more pictures of the Russian leader at the celebration event.

Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ removed from post – having not been since in public since Wagner mutiny

Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:30 , Matt Drake

Russia’s “General Armageddon” is said to have been removed as the head of the air force – having not been seen in public since the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries against Moscow and military commanders at the end of June.

Sergei Surovikin, a former commander of Russia’s troops in Ukraine who has previously been awarded his nation’s top military award, has not been publicly sacked – but state media has published sources confirming the move. He was given in moniker thanks to the brutal tactics deployed in Syria’s civil war and had been seen as one of Russia’s most effective commanders.

General Surovikin – who is believed to have close tries to Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin – would be the most senior military figure to lose his place over the attempted uprising over 24 hours from 23 to 24 June. Russian President Vladimir Putin had reacted with fury to Mr Prigrozhin’s forces trying to march on Moscow to protest how Moscow’s military top brass were handling the invasion of Ukraine. President Putin said that the revolt would have tipped Russia into civil war, with it being the most significant threat to his leadership in years.

Read the full report by Chris Stevenson below.

Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ fired – having not been seen since Wagner mutiny

Doomed plane’s final flight path

Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:26 , Sam Rkaina

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 has tracked the short journey of the private plane before the crash.

According to the site, the Embraer Legacy 600 jet travelled north west of Moscow at around 28,000ft before coming down.

Putin attends concert amid reports of Wagner boss plane crash

Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:10 , Matt Drake

Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen at a concert as reports circulated that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on a plane that crashed near Moscow, killing everyone onboard.

Footage showed Putin at an event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Soviet troops’ victory in the Battle of Kursk during World War II.

Russian officials have said Prigozhin - who led an attempted coup in Russia in June - was on a private jet that crashed in the Tver region on 23 August.

The Russian news agency TASS reported that ten people died in the crash.

Watch the full video below.

Putin attends concert amid reports of Wagner boss dead in plane crash

Flight tracking data shows jet registered to Wagner took off from Moscow

Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:07 , Matt Drake

Flight tracking data reviewed by The Associated Press showed a private jet registered to Wagner that Prigozhin had used previously took off from Moscow on Wednesday evening and its transponder signal disappeared minutes later.

The signal was lost in a rural region with no nearby airfields where the jet could have landed safely.

In an image posted by a pro-Wagner social media account showing burning wreckage, a partial tail number matching a private jet belonging to the company could be seen. The colour and placement of the number on the engine of the crashed plane match prior photos of the Wagner jet examined by The AP.

UK Foreign Office 'monitoring situation'

Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:02 , Matt Drake

The UK's Foreign Office confirmed it is investigating reports of a jet crash in the Tver region this evening.

According to Russian media, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was also a passenger and all 10 onboard died. But this has not been confirmed yet and it isn’t clear whether he was even on the flight.

In a brief statement, the Foreign Office said: "We are monitoring the situation closely."

President Zelensky tweets following summit

Wednesday 23 August 2023 20:00 , Matt Drake

President Zelensky thanked every participant in The Third Summit of the International Crimea Platform today.

It was held in Kyiv to discuss Ukraine's vision of Ukraine's possibilities for liberating the region, the most likely scenarios for de-occupation of the peninsula, and the key risks on the way to Crimea's reintegration.

Some of the speakers included Emine Dzhaparova, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and other representatives of Ukrainian government agencies.

Also, there are delegations from several other countries attending . The first Crimea Platform summit was held on August 23, 2021 and attended by 49 countries.

Mr Zelensky tweeted: “ Ukraine does not trade its territories, because we do not trade our people. Each participant of today’s Third Crimea Platform Summit, who supported the Peace Formula and wants to put an end to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression, affirms that human life is priceless.”

‘No one should be surprised’ - experts react to reports of plane crash

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:53 , Matt Drake

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a private jet that crashed on Wednesday evening north of Moscow with no survivors, the Russian authorities said.

It hasn't been confirmed whether he is alive or dead or even if he boarded the plane.

But many experts have speculated that the crash may have been just a plausible excuse for Vladimir Putin to eliminate a rival.

Although Mr Prigozhin and Putin were formerly close, after the Wagner chief led an uprising against the Kremlin in June, many have speculated about his fate.

US national security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said: "We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised."

Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, said: "Prigozhin caused the biggest shock of Putin's rule.

"Putin needs to reassert his authority. Those travelling with Prigozhin will be his associates and not neutrals - taking them out actually helps Putin as it reduces his enemies count.

"In short, this was too good an opportunity for Putin not to take.”

Kaja Kallas, prime minister of Estonia, told CNN: "If true, it shows (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will eliminate opponents and that scares anyone who is thinking of expressing opinion different than his."

British lawmaker Alicia Kearns, chair of parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, said on social media platform X: "The speed at which the Russian Govt has confirmed Yevgeny Prigozhin was on a plane that crashed on a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg should tell us everything we need to know. Reports Russian Air Defence shot down the plane suggests Putin is sending a very loud message."

Biden briefed on jet crash

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:41 , Matt Drake

US President Biden has been briefed about the alleged crash, the White House said.

According to Sky News, the US president is on holiday this week in Tahoe Valley, California.

He is said to be awaiting word from his National Security Team.

Photos show devastating damage of Russian drone strike on a school

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:30 , Matt Drake

Four educational workers were killed and four other people were hurt in a Russian attack on a school in the city of Romny in northeastern Ukraine on Wednesday, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Klymenko said the bodies of the school director, deputy director, secretary and a librarian had been pulled from the rubble by rescue workers.

He said four local residents were injured as they had been passing the school in Romny, which is part of the Sumy region.

More photographs have emerged, showing the extensive damage.

Jet crash welcome distraction after ‘humilation’ of failed space mission

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:25 , Matt Drake

A Russian expert said we may never know the true cause of a jet crash in the Tver region but it will serve as a distraction after Moscow's recent humiliation.

India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole on Wednesday. It came after Moscow's ambitious but failed attempt to return to the moon. The Luna-25 probe crashed onto the surface of the moon.

Keir Giles, Senior Consulting Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House, said: "There is one huge caveat to the early reporting. It's been announced that a passenger by the name of Yevgeniy Prigozhin was on board.

“But it is also known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels. So until we know for certain that it's the right Prigozhin, let's not be surprised if he pops up shortly in a new video from Africa.

“Everybody that was surprised Prigozhin survived his attempt to challenge the authority of the state in Russia with an armed mutiny, and said his days were numbered, will now be saying they told us so. (Including me.)

“We are unlikely ever to know the true cause of the crash. Whether or not this was a deliberate assassination, the crash is so politically significant that there is no chance of any investigation that will be either transparent or reliable.

“If this was a deliberate assassination of Prigozhin, there will have been multiple factors that influenced the choice of timing. But it can't have hurt that today, this will serve as just the distraction Russia's state media needs from the country's humiliation by India landing on the Moon where Russia failed spectacularly to do so a few days before.”

Eight bodied found at plane crash site - Russian media claims

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:13 , Matt Drake

Russian emergency services are said to have found eight bodied at the site of the plane crash.

According to the RIA state news agency, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list for a business flight.

Unconfirmed reports on Telegram channels claim the jet was shot down by Russian air defences but this has not been confirmed.

‘It was only a matter of time’ before warlord’s death - Russian expert

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:11 , Matt Drake

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was reportedly onboard a flight that crashed in the Tver region, killing 10.

Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, said it was only a matter of time before Mr Prigozhin was killed.

She also said it was a "logical development" after the Wagner chief staged a failed uprising against Vladimir Putin in June this year.

Ms Lutsevych said: "If Prigozhyn is indeed dead, as claimed, it is a logical development that follows a failed mutiny against the Kremlin.

"After the revolt that challenged Putin's narrative about the invasion of Ukraine and undermined his stronghold on power, it was only a question of time and mode of Prigozhyn's elimination.

"Alive, he was always a threat and a reminder that Putin is weak. It remains to be seen if Prigozhyn's supporters just swallow a bitter pill or further grow their ranks.

"In any case, the conflict within security and defence agencies of Russia will only deepen, as Ukraine's summer and fall offensive further degrades Russian armed forces.”

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? Wagner Group mercenary chief feared dead in plane crash

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:01 , Matt Drake

Once a low-profile businessman who profitted from having Russian president Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight since the onset of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Now the owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, the mercenary force seen fighting some of the Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine, most notably the drawn-out pursuit of Bakhmut, the 62-year-old stepped into his most dangerous role yet this summer: preaching open rebellion against his country’s military leadership.

Two months after the attempted uprising, Prigozhin is feared dead in a plane crash in Russia. On 23 August it was reported a private plane had crashed near Moscow, killing 10 people on board. While it has not been confirmed that he was onboard, Prigozhin was on the passenger list for the flight.

Read the full report by Ellen Knickmeyer and Joe Sommerlad below.

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

Ukrainian troops evacuate civilians from Robotyne as soldiers gain foothold

Wednesday 23 August 2023 19:00 , Matt Drake

Ukrainian troops evacuated residents trapped in the southeastern village of Robotyne, in Zaporizhzhia region, on Tuesday (22 August) according to the country’s defence ministry.

Soldiers from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade used US-made Bradley tanks to rescue civilians from the important regional rail hub occupied by Russia, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian forces have been accused of continuously shelling Robotyne with artillery fire.

Ukrainian troops entering the strategic southeastern village could be a potentially significant advance in its counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Watch the video below.

Ukrainian troops evacuate civilians from Robotyne as soldiers gain foothold

Former US official says it 'would not be a surprise' if Putin was behind crash

Wednesday 23 August 2023 18:53 , Matt Drake

Unconfirmed reports have emerged that Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was onboard a plane that crashed in the Tver region, killing 10.

It is not clear whether he is alive or dead or even whether he boarded the plane.

Former US special advisor Mark Voyager told Sky News: "We should not forget that the disappearance or the removal of some of Putin's enemies over the years have been linked to suspect aircraft crashes.

"It would not be a surprise if Putin has yet again chosen a method that provides some plausible deniability."

Who is Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin?

Wednesday 23 August 2023 18:41 , Matt Drake

Once a felon as well as a flea market hot dog seller, the 62-year-old went on to lead the Wagner mercenary group which played a vital role in taking the easter city of Bakhmut.

On Friday 23 June, Yevgeny Prigozhin finally escalated what had been months of scathing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war when he called for an armed uprising to oust Russia’s defence minister

As his men occupied Rostov-on-Don and marched on Moscow, Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and demanding Mr Prigozhin’s arrest.

In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat posed, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in the Russian capital, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported.

Mr Prigozhin and Mr Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, now known as St Petersburg.

The warlord gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory.

Briton died from head and chest injuries fighting in Ukraine, inquest hears

Wednesday 23 August 2023 18:30 , Matt Drake

A British father died from head and chest injuries while fighting with the Ukrainian army, an inquest has heard.

Simon Lingard, 38, died at about noon on November 7 2022 in Bakhmut in the Donetsk region in east Ukraine.

The former paratrooper, from Preston, died after being struck by fragments from artillery fire while trying to rescue Ukrainians, the inquest into his death held at Oxford Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday.

Read the full story below.

Briton died from head and chest injuries fighting in Ukraine, inquest hears

Wagner chief ‘onboard’ crashed plane

Wednesday 23 August 2023 18:13 , Matt Drake

A private jet that crashed in the Tver region had Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on board, according to reports.

Prigozhin spearheaded a revolt during June 23-34 against the Kremlin, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said could have pushed the country into civil war.

After his failed mutiny, Prigozhin was given sanctuary in Belarus.

But according to reports from the TASS news agency, the Russian Civil Aviation Authority has said the warlord was on the list of passengers onboard a crashed plane.

How many F-16 jets will Ukraine get?

Wednesday 23 August 2023 18:00 , Matt Drake

The Netherlands and Denmark have led a push to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s and deliver the fighter jets to Ukraine to help counter Russia’s air superiority.

Denmark will deliver 19 jets in total with the initial six due around the end of the year, followed by eight in 2024 and five in 2025, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Aug 20.

The Netherlands has 42 F-16s available but has yet to decide whether all of them will be donated.

Zelenskiy called the donation a “breakthrough agreement” and said the planes would strengthen Ukraine’s air defences and help its counter-offensive against Russian forces.

US officials have privately said F-16s would have been of little help to Ukraine in its current push and will not be a game changer when they eventually arrive given Russian air defence systems and contested skies over Ukraine.

Poland and Slovakia have supplied 27 MiG-29s to supplement Ukraine’s fleet of combat aircraft.

Top EU official warns West needs to act to avoid losing developing world's trust

Wednesday 23 August 2023 17:30 , Matt Drake

The head of the European Union’s powerful lending arm has warned the West is at risk of losing the confidence of the global south unless it urgently intensifies its own support efforts.

Werner Hoyer, the European Investment Bank’s President, said this week’s BRICS summit in South Africa and a push to make the group’s New Development Bank - known as the BRICS bank - an alternative to established Western multilateral lenders, underscored the need to significantly increase lending.

“It should be a cause for concern that an increasing number of smaller developing world countries, especially in Africa, are looking to countries like China and other emerging market nations to give them support rather than the traditional Western institutions,” Hoyer said.

Hoyer’s comments are the most forceful yet by a high-ranking EU official on the efforts of the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - to expand the bloc and turn it into a global counterweight to the West.

He said the number of developing nations that had adopted a neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year also signalled the challenge the West faced in maintaining the trust of those nations.

Brazilian President says BRICS working to end Ukraine war and criticises UN

Wednesday 23 August 2023 16:30 , Matt Drake

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that BRICS countries were engaged with Ukraine and Russia in efforts to end the war. He also criticised the United Nations Security Council’s limitations in dealing with the conflict.

Speaking at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, Mr Lula said an increasing number of countries, among them BRICS members, were engaged in direct contact with Moscow and Kyiv.

He said: “We stand ready to join an effort that can effectively contribute to a prompt ceasefire and a just and lasting peace.

“The war in Ukraine highlights the limitations of the UN Security Council.”

Russia says fighter jet intercepts Norwegian plane over Barents Sea

Wednesday 23 August 2023 16:00 , Matt Drake

A Russian fighter jet intercepted a Norwegian military plane over the Barents Sea on Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry claimed.

It said the Norwegian aircraft, a US-made P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane, was nearing the Russian border but turned back after being approached by the Russian MiG-29 fighter.

Tensions between Russia and NATO, of which Norway is a member, are at their highest for decades because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Wednesday 23 August 2023 15:30 , Matt Drake

Russia said on Wednesday it had thwarted the latest Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow but that three people were killed in a separate drone strike on a health facility near the Ukrainian border.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which is near Ukraine and has come under frequent attack, said a drone had hit a sanatorium in a village, while another had been shot down. He said two people had died on the spot and doctors were unable to save the life of a third person.

Separately, the governor of Kaluga region, south of Moscow, said another Ukrainian drone had been shot down without causing casualties or damage.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine will end Russian occupation of Crimea

Wednesday 23 August 2023 15:00 , Matt Drake

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Wednesday to end Russia’s occupation of the Crimea peninsula and all other areas that Moscow controls in his country.

Speaking to an international conference about Crimea which he said was being attended by more than 60 countries, Mr Zelenskiy said: “Crimea will be de-occupied like all other parts of Ukraine that are unfortunately still under the occupier.”

Crimea was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014 in a move not recognised by most other countries, and Russia seized other parts of Ukraine in the full-scale invasion it launched in February 2022.

Ukraine began a counteroffensive in early June to try to regain the territory occupied by Russia.