Kremlin Admits Death of Wagner Coup Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin May Have Been Result Of ‘Deliberate Wrongdoing’

The Kremlin admitted on Wednesday the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, and top leaders of the Wagner mercenary force near Moscow last week may have been the result of “deliberate wrongdoing.”

Prigozhin, once a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, led an armed rebellion against the Russian Defense Ministry earlier this Summer over claims of corruption in the Ukraine invasion. The mercernary planned to marches his forces to Moscow, but stopped after neogtations a peace deal through Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Prigozhin and other close aides died last week aboard a private jet leaving Moscow. According to Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, investigators in charge of determining the cause of the event have not yet come to an official conclusion.

Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, “let’s put it this way, deliberate wrongdoing,” according to Fox News.

“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,” Peskov added. The Kremlin spokesperson also ruled out the possibility of an international investigation.

Ten people died aboard the jet as it left Moscow headed toward St. Petersburg. In the hours after the incident, Putin offered his condolences to Prigozhin’s loved ones and family, while praising him for his service to Russia.

Prigozhin’s military rebellion against Putin and his allies in the ministry was the biggest existential crisis to the Russian’s presidents regime since he took power over two decades ago.