Russian officials say the jet that crashed had a passenger list

Did Sergei Surovikin take off from a Russian air force plane? An update on the crash of Prigozhin’s Legacy 600 aircraft

But as is so often the case with atrocities in Mr. Putin’s Russia, the plane crash was probably exactly what it appeared to be: the assassination of a nettlesome rival by the ruthless ruler. It is not certain whether Mr. Putin will honor him as a patriot because of his association with Ukrainian fascists and the West. Most observers think the evidence points to Mr. Putin.

Also this week, Russian media reported, citing anonymous sources, that a top Russian general linked to Prigozhin — Gen. Sergei Surovikin — was dismissed from his position of the commander of Russia’s air force. A man who was once the lead of Russia’s operation in Ukraine has not been seen in public in a long time.

The private jet Prigozhin had used before took off from Moscow on Wednesday evening, but only after it lost its transponder signal.

In an image posted by a pro-Wagner social media account showing burning wreckage, a partial tail number matching a private jet belonging to the company could be seen. There is a resemblance between the number on the engine of the crashed plane and photos examined by The AP.

The news about the crash broke less than a minute before Vladimir Putin spoke at an event to remember the Battle of Yarsk.

Russians have always had a penchant for rumor and conspiracies, underpinned by the presumption that official news is deeply doctored by the Kremlin. So it is not surprising that within hours of the first reports of a plane crashing with somebody as notorious as Yevgeny Prigozhin listed as a passenger, speculation spread like a Siberian wildfire. Perhaps he was not on the plane and had staged his death to disappear. Maybe Mr. Prigozhin was hidden in a dungeon by the President. Or the Ukrainians who he brought in blew the plane up.

Russia’s aviation authority offered no comment on the reason for the crash and said that it had created a special commission to investigate “the circumstances and causes of the accident.”

The Legacy 600 aircraft will no longer be provided with any support in the new year due to sanctions. Maintenance related is typically the focus of support. It can include data monitoring, but it is unknown whether that was the case with this jet.

Russian drones shot down by Ukrainians in a border region of the Bryansk and Kaluga regions of the Russian-Kaluga region

Russia’s Emergency Services say the remains of all 10 people on board the plane that crashed north of Moscow had been recovered, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

Russia said it shot down three drones that Ukrainians launched into its territory. Two were intercepted over the Bryansk region, which shares a border with Ukraine, and one over the Kaluga region, which is closer to Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry said. Russia’s statement has not been verified. In the last week, drones have made their way to Moscow and disrupted air traffic.