Dmitry Utkin, the Wagner Group’s second-in-command, was killed in a plane crash along with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group’s founder.
The plane crashed in the Tver region of Russia on Wednesday night. All 10 people on board were killed, including Utkin and Prigozhin.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but some reports suggest that the plane may have been shot down by Russian air defense forces.
Utkin, who was also known by his call sign “Wagner,” was a former Russian military officer who founded the Wagner Group in 2014. The group is a private military contractor that has been accused of carrying out a number of illegal and unethical activities, including war crimes.
Prigozhin is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been accused of funding the Wagner Group. He was also involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election meddling scandal.
The deaths of Utkin and Prigozhin are a major blow to the Wagner Group. It is unclear who will take over the group now that its two top leaders are dead.
The crash also raises questions about the state of relations between Putin and Prigozhin. The two men had been reportedly feuding for some time, and some analysts believe that the crash may have been the result of a political assassination.