As a result, the Russian rouble took an unexpected tumble – briefly tipping the dollar rate over 100 roubles.

In addition, Russia’s ‘Luna-25’ lander has been lost in space after colliding with the lunar surface last week.

Most people were far from shocked today when it was announced that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane had crashed in a fireball in Russia’s Tver Region. Most Russians were probably surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s fate had been a subject of speculation in Russia for weeks. Wagner’s boss launched his brief mutiny exactly two months ago.

His mercenaries captured a major Russian city and even marched on Moscow. Prigozhin’s days seemed numbered after the rebellion was put down. Since the mutiny was a humiliation for the Kremlin, President Putin isn’t one to forgive and forget.

The Russian Federal Aviation Agency Rosaviatsiya confirmed Yevgeny Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger manifest an hour after the crash.

Rosaviatsiya is often much slower to respond to such incidents than that: that’s unusually quick. We raised our eyebrows at that.

In its reporting of the incident, Russian state television quotes government officials without commenting. Kremlin-controlled Channel One gave the story just 30 seconds in its evening news bulletin.

In Russia, state TV channels often wait until they receive official instructions before reporting in a certain tone.

In regards to the Wagner group itself, Telegram channels linked to the mercenaries claim that Prigozhin was “killed…by traitors of Russia”. A makeshift shrine has appeared at the Wagner HQ in St Petersburg. There are images in the Russian media showing people bringing flowers and candles to the Wagner Center.

The focus is now on what happened on board the flight. Several possible causes are being investigated, including “external actions,” according to Russian media.

According to Tatiana Stanovaya, the cause of the plane crash isn’t important – more important is how it sends a message to other potential mutinees: “Everyone will see this as an act of retaliation and retribution…Prigozhin’s death should serve as a lesson for Putin, as well as many security and military officials.”