Did Wagner Boss Prigozhin Really Die in Russia? Body Double Could Be on Crashed Private Jet

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is said to have died when a private jet crashed outside of Moscow, but now experts are questioning if a Prigozhin body double could have been on the aircraft and the Wagner boss is still alive.

Prigozhin, who attempted a military coup against Vladimir Putin and Russian military leaders two months ago, was listed as a passenger on board the private plane that went down on Aug. 23, RadarOnline.com reported.

According to Russian state TV, Prigozhin was “feared” dead after all 10 passengers died in the crash. However, experts say the Wagner boss could be alive if a body double was onboard.

According to Keir Giles, the senior consultant of the Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House, Prigozhin’s name may have been listed on the downed plane’s passenger list, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he was killed in the fatal crash.

Giles told the US Mirror that people shouldn’t “be surprised if he (Prigozhin) pops up shortly in a new video from Africa.”

In explaining his theory, Giles said, “There is one huge caveat to the early reporting. It's been announced that a passenger by the name of Yevgeniy Prigozhin was on board. But it is also known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels.”

Until the real Prigozhin’s remains could be positively identified, Giles claimed his death could not actually be confirmed. Giles noted the previously wide-held belief that Prigozhin would be met with a swift end under Putin’s command after his failed coup, but the Wagner boss survived.

While Prigozhin didn’t suffer a mysterious death immediately after his failed coup, like so many others who have publicly gone against Putin, this mysterious catastrophic crash has raised eyebrows, RadarOnline.com reported.

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The private jet dropped out of the sky while en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg, exploding on impact.

The Russian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that Prigozhin and his associate Dmitry Utkin were among the 10 victims. Grey Zone, a Wagner-linked Telegram channel, also reported that the Wagner boss was killed in the crash. They claimed that his remains were discovered in the plane's wreckage.