Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has confirmed that Wagner group co-founders Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin were among people listed as passengers of a plane that crashed on Wednesday.

The crash occurred in Tver region, some 180 kilometres northwest of Russia’s capital Moscow.

Prigozhin and Utkin were among 10 people aboard an ill-fated jet that was heading to Saint Petersburg from Moscow on Wednesday, Russian authorities said.

Wagner mercenary group was founded in 2014, and it offers services, mainly security, at a fee.

Besides Russian troops, Wagner soldiers were among the trained personnel fighting in Ukraine.

The group had attempted a mutiny against President Vladimir Putin’s administration in late June 2023, citing mistreatment by Russian authorities.

The troops, however, rescinded the decision after entering a deal with the Russian government.