The Latest Breaking News on Three people killed in Russian shelling of Kherson, says Ukraine – as it happened

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of a Russian mercenary group who staged a failed rebellion against the Kremlin, was reported to have died in a plane crash.

Options for the mercenary group – in the wake of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s reported demise – include complete dissolution, nationalisation into the conventional Russian army or finding a new leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to hold the key to the future

Vladimir Putin has leant on military contractors to claim victories in Ukraine but his former friend’s attempted mutiny and threats against Russia’s defence establishment have exposed cracks in the president’s authority

Former convict, catering impresario and ally of Vladimir Putin became increasingly vocal critic of Kremlin’s defence chiefs during war in Ukraine

In today’s newsletter: Yevgeny Prigozhin is almost certainly dead – but, with the current state of chaos in Russia, could his plane crash be a smokescreen?

An official says reporters indicate Yevgeny Prigozhin was ‘very likely’ targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Vladimir Putin’s ‘long history of trying to silence his critics.’

As the war enters its 548th day, these are the main developments.

News that Russia’s Wagner mercenary chief was believed dead in a plane crash has dominated world reports, along with speculation that it might be linked to his June mutiny

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, is presumed dead. Russia’s Air Transport Agency has said he was on the passenger manifest of 10 people on board a private jet that came down in a fiery crash close to Moscow, killing everyone on board, while a Telegram channel associated…

On Aug. 23, Russian media reported that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, was listed among the passengers of a plane that crashed, leaving no survivors. Speculation has already begun about Putin’s potential involvement in the crash. This speculation is likely to continue unabated well into the future.

The head of a Russian mercenary group who launched a rebellion against Moscow’s military leadership in June is presumed dead after a mysterious plane crash