Fresh clues in the mystery surrounding Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane crash suggest the possibility of a bomb being placed on the private jet. A recently surfaced video seems to depict people posing as "prospective buyers" aboard what is said to be Prigozhin's personal private jet, raising concerns over a "serious security breach" just prior to takeoff.
This came as the Kremlin refuted Western claims that Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash orchestrated by Vladimir Putin as "absolute lies." Prigozhin, who launched a mutiny against Putin in June, was identified as one of the ten passengers on the ill-fated plane, which crashed and burst into flames, killing all on board.
Shocking New Clues
Those people on board the jet were officially listed as passengers on the private jet in order to be let through by airport security in Moscow, the Daily Mail, reported. They reportedly posed as "prospective buyers," according to VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, an outlet believed to have strong connections with Russian security forces.
The group of prospective buyers, which included a woman holding a handbag, allegedly had access to the aircraft for approximately one hour between 9:30 am and 10:30 am on Wednesday, according to the outlet.
This was merely hours before the plane tragically crashed in the early evening. This incident has raised suspicions about potential tampering with the plane.
Adding to the speculation, the aircraft's owners, Brazilian company Embraer, said that no repairs had been conducted on the plane since 2019 due to international sanctions that have hindered Western manufacturers from supplying parts or offering support for aircraft operated in Russia.
However, this contradicts the account of one of the passengers, a stewardess who was aboard the ill-fated plane. Before the aircraft took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, she informed her relatives that the flight was being delayed due to a technical inspection.
This raises further doubts about whether the plane might have been interfered with.
Russian authorities have identified Prigozhin as one of the ten passengers on the ill-fated plane that crashed in the fiery disaster, claiming the lives of all the people on board.
In a departure from his nearly 24 hours of silence, Vladimir Putin extended his "condolences" to those who perished, characterizing Prigozhin as an individual who had "made serious mistakes in life."
Meanwhile, a preliminary assessment by US intelligence suggests that the crash resulted from a deliberate explosion. However, the Pentagon has indicated that, up to this point, there is no available evidence indicating the involvement of a surface-to-air defense missile in the incident.
Kremlin Lambasts Blast Claims
Amid all these, Russia on Thursday lambasted Western suggestions that Prigozhin had been killed in a plane crash on Vladimir Putin's orders as "absolute lies." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov strongly condemned such speculation. However, he declined to reveal whether Putin would attend Prigozhin's funeral because he has "a very full schedule."
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a steadfast supporter of Putin, unsurprisingly rejected the notion that Putin could be linked to the crash. Lukashenko asserted that he "couldn't imagine" the Russian leader being involved in an assassination scheme.
Peskov said today: "Right now, of course, there are lots of speculations around the plane crash and the tragic deaths of the passengers of the plane, including Yevgeny Prigozhin."
"Of course, in the West those speculations are put out under a certain angle, and all of it is a complete lie," he added, without providing evidence.
Lukashenko, who permitted Putin to use Belarus as a base for his incursion into Ukraine, additionally stated that Wagner mercenaries would continue to operate within his nation despite the presumed demise of Prigozhin.
"Wagner lived, is alive, and will live in Belarus," Lukashenko said, without specifying who would lead the personnel.
