If Yevgeny Prigozhin’s final chapter was indeed written, he lived as he apparently died: violently, extravagantly and at the center of scandal, CNN notes. The head of Wagner’s mercenary group, which led a failed uprising against the Kremlin exactly two months ago, was on board the plane that crashed on Wednesday. So far, the Kremlin is silent. Vladimir Putin was giving a speech to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War II Battle of Kursk while visiting the region in southwestern Russia, on the border with Ukraine, amid search efforts after the plane crash.

Exactly two months ago, Yevgeny Prigozhin was at the origin of the uprising against the Russian General Staff and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, an uprising led by his men who briefly seized military facilities in southern Russia before marching on Moscow.

What is currently known about the plane crash in which Prigozhin was aboard

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, confirmed on Wednesday that Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board the Moscow-St. Petersburg plane that crashed in the Tver region, killing all on board.

The private Embraer plane was carrying seven passengers and three crew members, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. According to state media, all ten dead bodies were removed from the accident site.

The Embraer Legacy plane crashed near the village of Kuenkino in the Tver region northwest of Moscow, an investigation has been opened into the fact of “violation of air transport safety rules”. “An investigative-operational team has been sent to the place (…) to establish the causes of the accident,” the message of the Investigative Committee of Russia states.

According to Rosaviatsia, the plane belonged to the MNT-Aero company, which specializes in commercial transportation.

Together with the founder of “Wagner” Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmytro Utkin, one of his closest associates, another key figure of “Wagner” was on board.

While the search continued, President Vladimir Putin made a speech to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War II Battle of Kursk after visiting the region in southwestern Russia on the border with Ukraine.

He did not mention anything about the plane crash with Prigozhin on board. He spoke to the crowd about the “devotion and loyalty” of Russian soldiers who are “bravely and resolutely fighting” in Ukraine.

What happened next and what will happen next

• There is silence in the Kremlin. No reaction after the plane crash.

Russia’s Investigative Committee initially said it had opened a “criminal case” over the crash of the Embraer Legacy plane, and Rosaviatsia Rosaviatsia reported that a specially created commission “has begun investigating the circumstances and causes of the accident.”

• US President Joe Biden suggested that Vladimir Putin may be behind the accident.

“I don’t really know what happened, but I’m not surprised,” the White House leader responded.

“You may remember, I’ve been asked this before,” Biden told CNN’s Kevin Liptak, referring to comments he made in July that Prigozhin should be concerned about his safety after the failed uprising. At a press conference in July, Biden joked that if he were Prigozhin, “I would watch what he eats, I would watch the menu.”

• Ukraine reacted soon after through presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak.

Podoliak said it was clear that Prigozhin had signed a “special death sentence” when he brokered a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that would see Wagner’s commander and his fighters move to Belarus after the uprising failed: “It is clear that Putin does not forgive any – who because of their own fear.”

• Tribute to Prigozhin.

Several people gathered in St. Petersburg on Wednesday evening to honor the memory of the founder Wagner. They went to the headquarters of the private military company “Wagner” with the banner “PVK Wagner. We are together”. They brought flowers and lit candles.

• “Without a doubt” Putin is behind the accident.

Bill Browder is the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and was the largest foreign investor in Russia until 2005, when his visa was revoked because of his campaign against corruption and oligarchs. He told CNN there was “no doubt” that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind the disaster.

“Putin is a person who never forgives and never forgets. Prigozhin, in fact, betrayed him. That’s what happens when you make Putin look weak,” the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and Russia’s biggest foreign investor told CNN before he was kicked out.

• What can be next?

Leon Panetta, the former US defense secretary and former CIA director, told CNN that Russia is likely to try to take control of Wagner’s mercenary group.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced their control over the Wagner group in Africa, Asia, wherever they are. Besides, I think Wagner’s group should also worry about their lives,” he said.

As British military analyst Sean Bell suggested to Sky News in June after Wagner’s trip to Moscow, Wagner is nothing without Prigogine. “If Wagner’s group is Yevgeny Prigozhin, it is difficult to understand how it will survive. This is the end as we know it.”