Russia's civil aviation authority has confirmed that the head of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was among the passengers on a jet that tragically crashed, resulting in the loss of all lives on board.

Earlier reports from the Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone indicated that the Embraer aircraft was potentially shot down by air defenses in the Tver region, located north of Moscow.

The ill-fated jet was en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, carrying a total of seven passengers and three crew members.

It's worth noting that Prigozhin had recently led an unsuccessful mutiny attempt against the Russian armed forces in June.

According to Grey Zone, local residents reported hearing two explosions before the crash and witnessing two vapor trails.

Tass news agency has also reported that the plane caught fire upon impact with the ground, with four bodies having been recovered so far.

The aircraft had been airborne for less than thirty minutes at the time of the incident.