Fake Prigozhin Body Double Could Be on Plane That Crashed Near Moscow, Expert Warns

An expert cautioned that a Yevgeny Prigozhin body double could be on the private jet that crashed outside of Moscow, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Two months after the Wagner Mercenary Group boss attempted a military coup against Vladimir Putin and Russian military leaders, Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on board the private plane that went down on Wednesday.

Prigozhin was "feared" dead after Russian state TV reported that all 10 passengers perished in the crash. However, experts have warned that the Wagner boss could be alive if a body double was on board.

Keir Giles, the senior consultant of the Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House, said that while Prigozhin's name was listed on the downed plane's passenger list, it didn't necessarily mean he was killed in the fatal crash.

While commenting on the possibility of Priogzhin's survival, Giles told the US Mirror to "not be surprised if he pops up shortly in a new video from Africa."

"There is one huge caveat to the early reporting. It's been announced that a passenger by the name of Yevgeniy Prigozhin was on board. But it is also known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels," Giles explained his theory.

Giles claimed that until the real Prigozhin's remains could be positively identified, his death could not actually be confirmed. The senior consulted noted the previously wide-held belief that the Wagner boss would meet a swift end under Putin's command after his failed coup, yet Prigozhin survived.

"Everybody who was surprised Prigozhin survived his attempt to challenge the authority of the state in Russia with an armed mutiny, and said his days were numbered, will now be saying they told us so (including me)," Giles added.

While Prigozhin did not suffer a mysterious death immediately after his failed coup, like so many others who publicly went against Putin, Wednesday's mysterious catastrophic crash raised eyebrows.

While en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the private jet dropped out of the sky and plummeted to the ground, exploding on impact.

The Russian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that Prigozhin and his associate Dmitry Utkin were among the 10 victims. A Wagner-linked telegram channel, Grey Zone, also reported that the Wagner boss was killed in the crash. Grey Zone claimed that Prigozhin's remains were discovered in the plane's wreckage.