Wagner CEO Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a plane that crashed, killing everyone on board, according to Russia’s civil aviation authorities.
The Embraer plane was shot down by air defenses in the Tver region, north of Moscow, according to the Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone
The plane was carrying seven passengers and three crew members on its flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
In June, Prigozhin launched an unsuccessful insurrection against the Russian armed forces.
According to Grey Zone, residents heard two booms and witnessed two vapour trails before the crash.
According to the Tass news agency, the jet caught fire after impacting the ground, and four dead have already been discovered.
The plane had just been in the air for around 30 minutes, according to reports.