Breaking: Pentagon: Prigozhin plane hit by surface-to-air missile theory unsubstantiated

The US Pentagon has rejected suggestions that a surface-to-air missile brought down Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to the victims of Wednesday’s plane crash, describing Prigozhin as a “talented businessman”.

In a televised address, he said the Wagner boss “made serious mistakes in life, but also sought to achieve the necessary results”.

Authorities say all 10 people on the plane were killed when it crashed near Moscow – and that passengers included him and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin.

There’s continued speculation about what happened. UK defence sources have told the BBC that Russia’s FSB intelligence agency is most likely to be responsible.

The Wagner mercenary group was very active in Ukraine, until Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny against the Russian military leadership in June – which Putin called “treachery” at the time.

Details later…