Putin: Prigozhin was a talented man, while the US believes a Russian surface-to-air missile shot down the plane

(Patria) - The United States believes that a surface-to-air missile originating from Russia likely shot down the plane believed to be carrying mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on Thursday, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, emphasized that the information is still preliminary and is being reviewed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the plane crash in the Tver region.

All ten passengers, including the head of the private paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, were killed in the plane crash in Russia's northwestern Tver region.

Speaking about Prigozhin, Putin said:

"Prigozhin was a talented man, with a difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in his life".

On Wednesday evening, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency confirmed that ten people were killed in the crash of an Embraer-135 plane traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg in the Tver region.

The agency later released a list of the names of the passengers on board, including Prigozhin, Wagner co-founder Dmitry Utkin, and other Wagner personnel.

An investigation into the incident has been launched by the agency, while the Russian Investigative Committee stated in a Telegram message that it has initiated criminal proceedings for "violation of traffic safety rules and operation of air transport".