Putin spokesman says international investigators cannot take part in Prigozhin plane crash probe since foul play may be involved

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russian investigators are considering “deliberate wrongdoing” as one of the “various theories” about what led to the crash of Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet last week.

Speaking to journalists, Peskov emphasized that international agencies will not be involved in the investigation into the incident. “This is specifically a Russian investigation,” he said. One of the reasons outside foreign investigators cannot be involved in the probe, the press secretary added, is that foul play is one of the explanations under consideration.

“Obviously, there are various theories, one of which is deliberate wrongdoing — let’s put it that way,” he said.

Earlier, aviation authorities in Brazil, where the downed jet was manufactured, told the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) that they are prepared to take part in the investigation if they are invited and if it is conducted according to international standards. The IAC responded that since the jet was carrying out a domestic flight at the time of the crash, the investigation is being conducted by the domestic authorities.