A business jet crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday night, killing all the 10 people on board, the TASS news agency reported.
According to Russian emergency officials, Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list, but it wasn't immediately clear if he was on board.
Some reports even suggested that the Embraer Legacy aircraft belonged to Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private military company. Prigozhin had led a failed mutiny against the Russian military in June. The mutiny was ended by negotiations and an apparent Kremlin deal which saw Prigozhin agree to relocate to neighbouring Belarus.
“An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the passenger list, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin," Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsia said in a statement.
According to TASS report, the jet, en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, was carrying seven passengers and three crew.
The authorities said they were investigating the crash, which occurred in the Tver region more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Moscow.
