CNN: Prigozhinʼs planes flew to Belarus, but where is he — it is not known for sure

Author:
Anna Kholodnova
Date:

BlackSky satellite images show that two planes linked to the PMC "Wagner" founder Yevgeny Prigozhyn landed at a Belarusian airbase near Minsk on the morning of June 27.

This is reported by the CNN channel.

The exact location of Prigozhin is still unknown. Since he left the Rostov-on-Don military headquarters on the evening of June 23, neither photos nor videos of him have been published.

However, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus Oleksandr Lukashenko stated that Prigozhin is in Belarus.

A BlackSky satellite image taken on the morning of June 27 shows two aircraft with serial numbers RA-20795 and RA-02878 on the runway at Machulyshchi Air Base near Minsk. CNN reporters confirmed that these planes had arrived there within the last day and were the same size as Prigozhinʼs planes.

According to FlightRadar24, the planes landed near Minsk around 8:00 a.m. local time. Before landing, both planes had their transponders turned off to conceal the exact landing location.

A senior European intelligence official and a source familiar with Prigozhinʼs planes confirmed that the planes were linked to the PMC "Wagner" founder, but it was not known whether Prigozhin was on board.

The monitoring group "Belarusian Hajun" also reported that his plane had arrived at the "Machulyshchi" military airfield.