Moscow Refuses To Investigate Into Prigozhin’s Jet Crash Under International Rules

Does the Kremlin have something to hide?

Russia has informed the Brazilian Air Incident Investigation Authority that it will not investigate, in accordance with international rules, the crash of the Brazilian Embraer aircraft, which killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group mercenaries.

It is reported by Reuters.

Prigozhin, two of his deputies and four bodyguards were among 10 people killed in the crash of an Embraer Legacy 600 north of Moscow last week.

He died two months after he staged a brief mutiny against the Russian military that was the biggest challenge to President Vladimir Putin's rule since he came to power in 1999.

The Brazilian Center for Research and Prevention of Aircraft Accidents (CENIPA), in the interests of improving aviation safety, said it would join the Russian investigation if invited and the investigation was carried out in accordance with international rules.

The Russian aviation authority was not required to agree to CENIPA, but some former investigators said it was necessary because US and other Western governments suspect the Kremlin was behind the August 23 crash of an Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft that has a good safety record.

No obligation to accept international rules

According to the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg was a domestic flight and therefore not subject to international regulations, officially known as Annex 13.

“They are not mandatory, but only recommend doing so,” CENIPA head Marcelo Moreno told Reuters. “But if they say they will start an investigation and invite Brazil, we will participate remotely.”

CENIPA reported that it had received a response from the Interstate Aviation Committee — Accident Investigation Commission (IAC), while the Russian authorities stated that they would not open an investigation under Annex 13 this time.

About 802 Embraer regional jets, ranging from 37 to 50 seats, built on the same platform as the Legacy 600 corporate jet, are in service, highlighting Brazil's interest in the study.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former US air crash investigator, said Russia should accept help from Brazil even if CENIPA could only participate remotely.

“If they don't, then that's a sure sign that there won't be a transparent investigation.”

These rules, which take their name from the annex to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly known as the Chicago Convention of 1944, are a discreet but effective form of international cooperation that is rarely questioned.

Encouraging unusually close technical cooperation across political boundaries and avoiding blame issues, Annex 13 has significantly improved aviation safety since its introduction, security officials say.

Prigozhin’s Death

The plane of the Wagner group crashed on August 23 near the residence of Vladimir Putin in Valdai, killing ten people. Russian authorities claim that Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers.

On August 29, Prigozhin's press service announced that the leader of the mercenaries had been secretly buried at the Prokhorovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

The White House does not exclude that Putin may be involved in the death of Prigozhin, since the Kremlin has a long history of killing opponents.