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Yevgeny Prigozhin Was Assassinated, U.S. Officials Say

The plane that crashed Wednesday, reportedly carrying the Wagner boss, was the result of a targeted killing, U.S. officials have said.

The crash of a plane reportedly carrying Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was the result of an assassination, U.S. officials said Thursday. Some U.S. officials told Reuters that the Biden administration assessment of the crash is ongoing but that preliminary indications suggest it may have been taken down by a surface-to-air missile launched from inside Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported that the aircraft was not shot down by a surface-to-air missile but rather was likely taken down by an explosion on board the aircraft. Investigators in Russia have not excluded the possibility that explosive devices could have gone off on board the aircraft, according to Baza, a site with ties to Russian security services.