Russia Declines International Probe into Prigozhin Plane Crash

Russia has informed Brazil’s aircraft investigation authority that it will not conduct an international probe into the crash of the Brazilian-made Embraer jet that killed mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The crash occurred on August 23, 2023, in the Tver region of Russia, resulting in the deaths of Prigozhin, two top lieutenants of his Wagner Group, and four bodyguards.

Brazil’s Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) had expressed its willingness to join a Russian-led investigation if invited and held under international rules, aiming to improve aviation safety. However, Russia declined to accept an international investigation, stating that the flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg was domestic and not subject to international rules, according to the Montreal-based United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Despite Russia’s decision, some experts and former investigators expressed concerns about the transparency of an internal Russian investigation without the participation of Brazil, where the plane was manufactured. They emphasized the importance of international cooperation in air crash investigations to improve aviation safety.

The crash of the Embraer Legacy 600 has raised suspicions, with Western governments, including the US, suggesting Kremlin involvement, although the Kremlin has denied any connection. Prigozhin had been critical of Moscow’s prosecution of the invasion of Ukraine, and the Wagner mercenaries fought on Russia’s side in the conflict.

The decision not to accept international rules for the investigation highlights the challenges faced by authorities in gathering information due to sanctions on Russia and Moscow’s reluctance to allow outside scrutiny.

Annex 13, named after the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, represents an effective form of international cooperation in air crash investigations, focusing on improving aviation safety without assigning blame.

Embraer, the manufacturer of the aircraft, has not commented on the matter.

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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, msn.com, euractiv.com