Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the violent Wagner mercenary group who in June led his fighters on an aborted mutinous march to Moscow, likely died in a jet crash in Russia on Wednesday with nine others, Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport said.
While the agency listed Prigozhin as having been on the flight, NBC News has not confirmed that he was. But if it proves true, it is a sudden and shocking end for the onetime ally of President Vladimir Putin and global warlord, whose group fought on the front lines in Ukraine and has been linked to violence in Syria, Mali, the Central African Republic and other countries.
A Western official told NBC News that U.S. and European allies are comparing assessments to get clarification on the crash. The remains of all 10 people on board the Embraer Legacy jet have been found, emergency services quoted by Interfax agency said.
An official passenger list posted on Telegram also included Dmitry Utkin, another senior Wagner official, which would mean the organization was effectively decapitated.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
