Moscow [Russia], August 31: Russia has ruled out an international investigation into the crash of the Embraer business jet that was carrying the head of the Wagner paramilitary force Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that it was not possible for foreign agencies to join the investigation into the August 23 plane crash in which all 10 people on board died.
His statement came in response to reports that Russia had refused to allow Brazil to take part in the investigation. Brazil is home to Embraer, the manufacturer of the plane that crashed in the Tver region, while en route from Moscow to St Petersburg. Officially, the cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but Western observers and many in Russia suspect Prigozhin's jet was deliberately brought down by an explosive device on board or an anti-aircraft missile.
"The investigation is under way. The Investigative Committee is in charge. This is an entirely Russian investigation. No international aspect is on the agenda," Peskov said, according to the TASS news agency. The Kremlin has denied playing a role in the crash and Peskov reiterated that Putin had nothing to do with the incident, saying, "let's wait for the results." Investigators seized the flight recorders at the crash site in the Tver region, he said.
Alongside Prigozhin, the dead also included the commander of the mercenary Wagner army, Dmitry Utkin.
Source: Qatar Tribune
