Kremlin says Prigozhin plane crash could have been caused deliberately
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A photo of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at his grave at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in St Petersburg, Russia, on Aug 30.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MOSCOW - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the investigation into the plane crash that killed mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin
“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,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Let’s wait for the results of our Russian investigation.”
The private Embraer jet that Mr Prigozhin was travelling on to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed north of Moscow on Aug 23, killing all 10 people on board, including two other top Wagner figures, his four bodyguards and a crew of three.
The cause is still unclear, but villagers near the scene told Reuters they heard a bang and then saw the jet plummet
The plane crashed exactly two months after Mr Prigozhin took control of the southern city of Rostov in late June,
Russian, not international probe
Russia has informed Brazil’s aircraft investigation authority that it will not probe the crash of the Brazilian-made Embraer jet under international rules “at the moment”, the Brazilian agency told Reuters.
Brazil’s Centre for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa), in the interests of improving aviation safety, had said it would join a Russian-led investigation if it were invited and the probe was held under international rules.
Russia’s aviation authority was not obligated to say yes to Cenipa, but some former investigators said it should, as the US and other Western governments suspect the Kremlin of being behind the crash of the Embraer Legacy 600, which has a good safety record.
The Kremlin denies any involvement.
Mr Prigozhin was publicly critical of Moscow’s prosecution of its invasion of Ukraine. The Wagner mercenaries he led fought battles there on Russia’s side.
According to the Montreal-based United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation, the flight from Moscow with a destination of St Petersburg was domestic, so it is not subject to international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name “Annex 13”.
Asked about that report, Mr Peskov said: “First of all, the investigation is under way, the investigative committee is engaged in this.
“In this case there can be no talk of any international aspect.”
In response to a Reuters question on whether Russia would open such a probe, Cenipa head Marcelo Moreno said: “They are not obliged, only recommended, to do that. But if they say they’ll open the investigation and invite Brazil, we will participate from afar.”
US aviation safety consultant and former investigator John Cox said an internal Russian investigation would always be questioned without the participation of Brazil, the country where the plane was manufactured.
“I think it’s very sad,” he said after being told of the Russian response. “I think it hurts the transparency of the Russian investigation.”
In air crash investigations, experts work to improve aviation safety without assigning blame, but probes are often tainted by political interests.
Cenipa and manufacturer Embraer want to prevent future accidents, but face challenges in getting information from the investigation due to sanctions on Russia and Moscow’s reluctance to allow outside scrutiny.
About 800 Embraer regional jets with 37 to 50 seats, built on the same platform as the Legacy 600 corporate aircraft, are in service, underscoring Brazilian interest in the probe. REUTERS
