Russian Investigative Committee launches criminal case following plane crash

Jul 23, 2023

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By Tara Subramaniam, Jack Guy, Caolán Magee, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Sophie Tanno, Leinz Vales, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt and Mike Hayes, CNN

From Mariya Knight

The Russian Investigative Committee said it has initiated "a criminal case" following the crash of the Embraer Legacy aircraft.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed among passengers on board.

The committee said the case was based on Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which involves the violation of the rules of traffic safety and operation of air transport.

An investigation team is on the way to the scene, it added. "All the necessary forensic examinations will be appointed, a set of investigative actions will be carried out to establish the causes of the crash."

From Mariya Knight

The Russian state aviation authority Rosaviation says that a specially created commission "has begun investigating the circumstances and causes of the accident with the Embraer-135 aircraft, which occurred on August 23 in the Tver region."

The authority's statement said the plane belonged to MNT-Aero LLC, which specializes in business transportation.

"According to preliminary data, there were seven passengers and three crew members on board the aircraft, which flew on the Moscow-St. Petersburg route," the authority said.

"At this stage of the investigation, specialists will also have to search for on-board means of objective control for their subsequent decoding and analysis of the records of the "black box," the authority said.

From CNN's Paul Murphy and Tim Lister

Video of plane engine debris taken at the purported crash site in the Tver region northwest of Moscow matches a plane registered to Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.

In the video, the last four digits of a registration number on the still-burning engine debris are seen — 2795.

Prigozhin's plane is registered as RA-02795.

An additional analysis of the debris, compared with past photos of the plane, also shows that distinct features of the engine, including its color, match the plane.

Video released by official Russian news agency RIA Novosti shows a plane matching the size and shape of the Embraer falling from the sky almost vertically.

The plane had reached an altitude of some 26,000 feet, according to flight data, before ceasing to transmit information.

From CNN's Paul P. Murphy

The transponders of a plane that crashed north of Moscow stopped transmitting data around 6:11 p.m. local time, according to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24.

Flight data showed an Embraer Legacy registered to Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a cruising altitude over the Tver region after departing a Moscow airport, before data transmission of speed and altitude stopped.

Prigozhin is listed among passengers on board the crashed plane, according to Russian state media.

The plane is believed in the past to have ferried Prigozhin from Rostov-on-Don — which became the headquarters for his short-lived mutiny in June — to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Belarus.

It's unclear what caused the crash, and flight transponder data tracked by FlightRadar24 doesn't offer many clues.

That data does not show a steep descent before the plane stopped transmitting data, over the Russian region of Tver.

The plane's destination is also unclear from the tracking data, but Russian authorities have said the aircraft was bound for St. Petersburg.

From Mariya Knight and Josh Pennington

The bodies of four people have been found at the crash site in Tver, according to the Russian Emergency services, per Russian state media TASS.

The plane "burned up" on impact after being in the air for about half an hour, TASS reported.

From Mariya Knight

An Embraer aircraft crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region, Russian Emergency services said.

The private Embraer Legacy aircraft crashed while flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the agency added.

There were 10 people on board, including three crew members. According to preliminary information, all on board were killed.

"We are conducting search operations," the agency said.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is listed among passengers on board a plane that crashed north of Moscow, according to Russian state media.

The official Russian news agency TASS reported the Federal Air Transport Agency has launched an investigation into the crash of an Embraer aircraft, which occurred in the Tver region north-east of Moscow on Wednesday.

Flight data showed an Embraer Legacy registered to Prigozhin at a cruising altitude over the Tver region after departing a Moscow airport, before data transmission of speed and altitude stopped.

From CNN’s Sarah El Sirgany and James Frater

Some 541 children have been killed in Ukraine since the war began in February 2022, British charity Save the Children said in a report on Wednesday, with this June being the deadliest month recorded.

As air and drone attacks tripled this summer, the international charity recorded a 16% increase in child casualties between May and August, compared to the previous four months. The agency said 95% of those attacks took place in populated areas, prompting an increase in overall civilian fatalities, citing UN verified data.

Since May 2023, the charity said 148 children have been killed or injured. June was the deadliest month for children so far when 11 children were killed and 43 more were injured.

“This serves as a grim reminder that explosive weapons should not be used anywhere near populated areas, such as towns and villages,” he added.

From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy, Olga Voitovych and Sarah Dean

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is hosting leaders from Portugal, Lithuania and Finland in Kyiv this week after returning from his own tour of European nations.

This is the first time Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has visited the Ukrainian capital as he was only sworn in two months ago. During the trip, Orpo said that Finland’s “strong and unwavering support to Ukraine” is set to continue, according to a government press release.

Finland has supplied Kyiv with 1.7 billion euros ($1.8 billion) worth of aid, 1.2 billion of which were in defense packages, the Finnish statement added.

During a joint news conference, Orpo told journalists that Finland is making the final preparations for its 18th defense aid package for Ukraine, adding that further details will be announced later this week.

Zelensky publicly thanked Finland for the “17 defense assistance packages already provided,” adding that the two leaders discussed Ukraine’s “priorities” for the next package.

Orpo also sent a strong message of support for Ukraine’s bids to join both the NATO military alliance and the European Union stressing that “Ukraine belongs in the West – in the European Union and NATO.”

One engagement included a meeting on Wednesday with Lithuania’s president, Gitanas Nausėda, a long-time supporter of Ukraine to discuss the Ukrainian counter offensive.

In a post on his official Telegram channel, Zelensky said the pair discussed the “current situation on the battlefield and the urgent needs of Ukrainian defenders” alongside ways to shore up food security for Ukraine.

Nausėda said in a post on “X,” formerly known as Twitter, that he used the trip as an opportunity to reiterate Lithuania’s commitment to “supporting Ukraine until victory.” To show this sustained support, the Baltic state will deliver NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine next month, according to Nausėda.

Portugal’s head of state, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also arrived in Kyiv for a two-day visit on Wednesday, timed around celebrations marking Ukrainian Independence Day on Thursday.

De Sousa traveled alongside the Portuguese foreign minister, João Gomes Cravinho, to Kyiv and is set to meet Zelensky on Thursday, according to CNN affiliate, CNN Portugal.

The Portuguese leader visited the Kyiv suburb of Bucha on Wednesday, spending time at the Church of St. Andrew, where a mass grave was discovered in April 2022 after Russian forces withdrew from the area.

"What happened [here] was very intense, very shocking, very inhumane and inhuman, and that's precisely why we are searching for the appropriate means for the trial and punishment," the Portuguese president said.