Yevgeny Prigozhin

Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement that forensic and genetic testing identified all 10 bodies recovered at the site of Wednesday’s crash

Prigozhin, whose brutal fighters were feared in Ukraine, Africa and Syria, was eulogized by President Vladimir Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian leader was behind the accident that many saw as an assassination

Their deaths range from the exotic — from drinking polonium-laced tea or touching a deadly nerve agent — to the more mundane of getting shot at close range

Drawn by natural resources, the mercenary corporation operates in Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mali, where they strive to spread Russian influence and enrich the Kremlin

US intelligence and some Russian media point to an attack on the plane in which the Wagner leader was traveling. ‘He was a man of difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life,’ said the Russian president

The list of the deceased includes the firm’s second-in-command, its head of logistics and other senior officials. Two pilots and a stewardess were also killed

President Putin on Thursday expressed his condolences to the families of those who were reported to be aboard the jet and referred to ‘serious mistakes’ by Prigozhin, who led an insurrection against the Russian military two months prior to his death

The Wagner company has played a decisive role in the war in Ukraine, where it has managed to maintain control of Russian positions in Donbas

The crash immediately raised suspicions, since the fate of the founder of the Wagner private military company has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military two months ago

The head of the Russian paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been meeting with representatives from Mali, the Central African Republic and Niger. The United States, meanwhile, is attempting to block the Wagner Group from profiting from African mines

The destabilization in the African region poses a higher threat of jihadist terrorism and increased flows of migrants to Europe

While many people in the capital of Niamey went about their usual business, it remained unclear who was in control of the country and which side the majority might support

Messaging app channels linked to Prigozhin’s Wagner private military company said he spoke to his troops at a field camp in Belarus and ran a blurry video purported to show him speaking there

Belaruski Hajun, a Belarusian activist group that monitors troop movements in Belarus, said a convoy of more than 100 vehicles carrying Russian flags and Wagner insignia entered the country on Monday

The Wagner head has not commented on the meeting with Putin, and his ultimate fate remains unclear, as he could still face prosecution for financial wrongdoing or other charges

The crisis in Russia over Wagner’s mutiny has revealed the complex network of troops working in and outside of the country. The Kremlin helped create a system that has now turned against him

The failed rebellion of Wagner’s mercenaries has shown the cracks in the Russian leader’s power. In addition to the war in Ukraine, the president faces international pressure, faltering domestic support and a bleak economic outlook

The images provided by Planet Labs PLC suggest that dozens of tents were erected within the past two weeks at a former military base outside Osipovichi, a town 230 kilometers (142 miles) north of the Ukrainian border

Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said his country could use their experience and expertise

It’s not clear whether Surovikin faces any charges or where he is being held, reflecting the opaque world of the Kremlin’s politics and uncertainty after the revolt

Officials also claim there are indications other Russian generals may have supported Prigozhin’s attempt to forcibly change the leadership of the Defense Ministry

Following the aborted uprising, it remains unclear where Prigozhin’s 20,000-25,000 mercenaries are deployed and what their next move will be after their leader’s exile

Those prisoners agreeing to join the mercenary group were promised freedom after their service, but cases where these recruits are involved in violent crimes are causing alarm