Headline

10 Bodies, Flight Recorders Recovered At Wagner Boss Prigozhin’s Jet Crash Site

Published

3 years ago

August 26, 2023

Two days before Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly died in a plane crash, he recorded a video in a location thought to be Mali. BBC

Russia says 10 bodies and flight recorders have been recovered from the scene of a jet crash presumed to have killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

“Molecular-genetic tests are now being carried out,” investigators say.

The plane crashed near Moscow on Wednesday, prompting speculation that a bomb or a missile was to blame.

Claims that the Kremlin gave an order to kill Prigozhin were a “complete lie”, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman told the BBC earlier.

Prigozhin – once a Putin loyalist – led an aborted armed revolt by his mercenary fighters in June.

Mr Putin at the time described the mutiny as “treachery”, but a deal was later struck for Wagner mercenaries to either join Russia’s regular army or go to Belarus – Moscow’s ally.

Even so, in the wake of the rebellion, many observers described Prigozhin, 62, as a “dead man walking”, arguing that the Russian president would never forgive the Wagner boss.

During Friday’s conference call with journalists, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC there was “lots of speculation” around the “tragic” deaths of all 10 people in Wednesday’s air crash in the Tver region, north-west of the Russian capital.

Prigozhin and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin, as well as five other passengers and three crew members, were on board of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet, according to the passenger list.

“In the West, of course, this speculation comes from a certain angle. It’s all a complete lie,” Mr Peskov went on.

“We don’t have many facts at the moment, the facts need to be clarified during the official investigation which is being carried out now,” he added.

And despite the jet’s manifest, Mr Peskov refused to be drawn on whether the Kremlin had confirmation that Prigozhin was definitely on board the downed plane.

The future of Wagner itself has also been thrown further into doubt by Prigozhin’s presumed death.

On Friday, Belarus’ leader Aleksander Lukashenko said that up to 10,000 Wagner fighters would continue to be based in the country.

However, many experts believe that Mr Lukashenko takes orders from the Kremlin.

President Putin stayed silent over the crash for almost 24 hours, before expressing condolences to all the victims’ families.

He also described Prigozhin as a “talented person” who “made serious mistakes in life”.

But from the moment the plane came down, there has been frenzied speculation about what caused the crash.

The Pentagon says it believed the Wagner chief was probably killed, while a US official told CBS News that the most likely cause of the crash was an explosion on board the plane.

President Joe Biden said on Friday that the US was still trying to “nail down” precisely what brought down the plane. BBC

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

1 hour ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.