MOSCOW (AP) 鈥 鈥淒eliberate wrongdoing鈥 is among the possible causes of the plane crash that killed Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin last week, the Kremlin's spokesperson said Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters during his daily conference call, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that 鈥渄ifferent versions鈥 of what happened exist and 鈥渁re being considered鈥 by Russian investigators, including, 鈥渓et's put this way, deliberate wrongdoing.鈥
A business jet carrying Prigozhin, the founder and leader of the , and crashed halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg a week ago, killing all seven passengers and three crew members.
The Interstate Aviation Committee, the Moscow-headquartered body that oversees civil aviation in most former Soviet republics, said in an online statement Wednesday that it was not currently investigating the crash, although the agency has an accident investigation division.
Peskov said there can't be an international investigation into why the plane plummeted from the sky and he urged reporters to wait for the Russian Investigative Committee to complete its review. The committee said last week that it opened a criminal case to look into possible flight safety violations, a standard procedure in Russia when there is no immediate reason to suspect foul play.
The crash occurred exactly two months after a short-lived armed rebellion against Russia's military leadership, posing the biggest challenge to President Vladimir Putin's authority in his 23-year rule. The Kremlin has in the crash.
Prigozhin, 62, was , his hometown, in a private ceremony that was shrouded in secrecy until Tuesday evening, when his spokespeople revealed the location of his grave.
Western officials and analysts expect the private Wagner army to continue operating, , where Russian mercenaries have provided security against extremist organizations like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
鈥淚 am sure they鈥檒l find a replacement鈥 for Prigozhin, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday after chairing talks among EU defense ministers.
鈥淲agner will continue to operate in the service of Putin in Africa, doing what they do, which is not contributing to peace in the Sahel or the defense of the rights of Saharan Africans,鈥 Borrell said.
鈥 economically and politically.
This summer, a national referendum in the Central African Republic that cemented presidential power; it is a key partner for Mali鈥檚 army in battling armed rebels; and it contacted the military junta in Niger that wants its services following a coup.
Expanding ties and undercutting Western influence in Africa is a top priority as the Kremlin seeks new allies during its war in Ukraine, where Wagner fighters helped Russia win a long and bloody battle for the city of Bakhmut.
Africa鈥檚 54 nations are the largest voting bloc at the U.N., and Moscow has actively worked to rally their support for its invasion.
