Moscow: Russia has told Brazil's aviation authority that it currently has no plans to initiate an investigation into the fatal plane crash that claimed the life of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, under the framework of international regulations.
The announcement was made on Tuesday. The decision not to conduct a formal investigation into Prigozhin's death under international norms raises questions about transparency and accountability in such cases.
The incident saw the demise of Yevgeny Prigozhin, along with two high-ranking members of his Wagner Group and four bodyguards, among a total of ten individuals. The plane crash involving a Brazilian-made Embraer jet occurred in the northern vicinity of Moscow just last week, reported Reuters.
The plane crash came as a significant blow, occurring two months after Prigozhin's attempted mutiny against the Russian defense establishment. This challenge posed a notable test to the rule of President Vladimir Putin, the most substantial one since his ascent to power in 1999.
In a separate incident, Moscow said it destroyed Ukrainian military boats.
According to the official statement released by Russia's defense ministry on Wednesday, their aircraft purportedly "destroyed four high-speed military boats with landing groups of Ukrainian special operations forces with a total number of up to 50 people" in the Black Sea. This event took place at approximately midnight in Moscow, corresponding to 2100 GMT.
The circumstances surrounding the plane crash, coupled with the intensified military activities in the Black Sea region, have heightened attention on Russia's actions and intentions.