'deliberate explosion' was cause of wagner plane crash - us intelligence

A preliminary US intelligence report suggests that the plane crash which likely killed Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was done on purpose with an explosion. US and Western

officials shared this on Thursday while Russian President Vladimir Putin passed on his condolences to the family of Prigozhin, who challenged his rule. One official said it's very

likely that Prigozhin was targeted, which fits with Putin's history of silencing critics. The officials, speaking anonymously, didn't say what caused the explosion but confirmed it

was likely deliberate. Other high ranking members of the Wagner mercenary group were reportedly onboard the plane when it exploded, and also died in the firey crash. However, the sources

have not revealed how the explosion happened. As this information came out, Putin offered condolences to the victims' families. Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner military company and

six other passengers were on the jet that crashed Wednesday (August 23) soon after taking off from Moscow with a crew of three, according to Russia's civil aviation authority. Rescuers

found 10 bodies, and Russian media cited anonymous sources in Wagner who said Prigozhin was dead. But there has been no official confirmation. President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters

Wednesday, said he believed Putin was behind the crash, though he acknowledged that he did not have information verifying his belief. "I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not

surprised," Biden said. "There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind."