UPDATE - Zelenskyy says Ukraine has ‘nothing to do’ with plane crash killing Wagner head

UPDATES WITH FURTHER COMMENTS BY ZELENSKYY ON 'SPECIAL OPERATION' IN CRIMEA

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said that his country was not involved in the plane crash in Russia’s northwestern Tver region that killed all 10 passengers on board, including Wagner mercenary group head Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Addressing a news conference with his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Souza in the capital Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had “nothing to do” with the incident, adding: “I think everyone is aware of who is involved,” Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne reported.

Late Wednesday, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that an Embraer-135 aircraft crashed in Russia’s Tver region while traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg, killing all 10 passengers on board, including three crew members.

The agency later released a list of the names of individuals aboard the aircraft, which included Prigozhin, Wagner co-founder Dmitry Utkin, and other Wagner personnel.

Investigations into the incident were launched by the agency, while Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement on Telegram that it initiated a criminal case on grounds of the “violation of traffic safety rules and operation of air transport.”

Prigozhin made headlines in June when he launched an “armed rebellion” against the Russian leadership before quickly aborting it after a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

- ‘Too early to talk about liberation of Crimea’

Zelenskyy also touched on reports earlier in the day by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (GUR), which claimed that a “special operation” was conducted overnight in Crimea.

“It is too early to talk about the liberation of Crimea. I will have a detailed report from (GUR head) General (Kyrylo) Budanov. Yes, these are our guys. There are no casualties from our side. This is good news. At least this is what I could discuss with Budanov on the phone,” he said.

The GUR said on Telegram that it launched a “special operation” in Crimea with the help of the country’s navy, during which special units on watercraft landed on the settlements of Olenivka and Mayak.

“During the execution of the task, the Ukrainian defenders engaged in combat with the units of the occupier. As a result, the enemy suffered losses among personnel, enemy equipment was destroyed,” a GUR statement said.

It further claimed that “all goals and tasks have been completed,” and the Ukrainian special units left the area without casualties after the operation.

Russian authorities have not yet commented on the claim, and independent verification of Ukraine’s claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.