According to Russia's civil aviation authority, the head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers listed on a jet that tragically crashed, resulting in the loss of all lives on board.

An earlier report by the Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone suggested that the Embraer aircraft was shot down by air defenses in the Tver region, located to the north of Moscow.

The jet, en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg, was carrying a total of seven passengers and three crew members.

Prigozhin had notably led an unsuccessful mutiny against the Russian armed forces in June.

Grey Zone stated that local residents heard two loud noises before the crash and observed two vapor trails in the sky.

The Tass news agency reported that the plane caught fire upon impact with the ground, noting that four bodies had already been discovered.

The ill-fated aircraft had been airborne for less than half an hour before the tragic incident occurred.