Deliberate Downing of Prigozhin's Jet Not Ruled Out, Kremlin Says

Facts

• Russian investigators probing the plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have not ruled out the possibility that the plane was deliberately downed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.¹
• Prigozhin's Embraer Legacy jet had been flying between Moscow and St. Petersburg when it went down in the Tver region last week, killing all ten people on board. His death was confirmed following DNA testing of the bodies found in the wreckage.²
• Peskov told reporters: "It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version — you know what we are talking about — let's say, a deliberate atrocity." However, he added: "Let's wait for the results of our Russian investigation."¹
• The news comes after Brazil's aviation authority — the Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) — reportedly claimed that Russia had declined its invitation to probe the Brazilian-made plane's crash under international rules "at the moment."³
• While Russia isn't obliged to accept CENIPA's invitation, US aviation experts suggested that the lack of Brazilian participation in the probe "hurts the transparency of the Russian investigation."³
• The Kremlin has previously denied any role in the crash and hit out at Western assertions that Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge.⁴

Sources: ¹Reuters (a), ²BBC News, ³Reuters (b), and ⁴TASS.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Any insinuation that the Kremlin was involved in Prighozhin's plane crash is nothing but lies and speculation and an attempt to discredit Russia. A comprehensive investigation is being carried out, and its results will be shared when known.
• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Reuters. Though the Kremlin hints that Prigozhin may have been assassinated, the lack of international investigators into the circumstances of the crash will inevitably bring into question the probe's independence and whether it was manipulated for political goals.