Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a jet which crashed killing all on board, Russia’s civil aviation authority has said.
The jet, which was flying from the capital to St Petersburg, was carrying seven passengers and three crew.
In a viral video, a plane is seen spiraling to the ground followed by a trail of smoke and the wreckage is seen smouldering.
Earlier, Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone reported the Embraer aircraft was shot down by air defences in the Tver region, north of Moscow.
Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against the Russian armed forces in June.