Russia says a private jet crashed in the country's northwest and a list of the 10 people onboard include Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group.

Russia's ministry of emergency situations announced on Wednesday that the plane crashed in the northwestern region of Tver while flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

Aviation officials released the names of the seven passengers and three crew members on board, including Prigozhin.

A social media channel believed to be linked to Prigozhin has announced his death.

Russia's Investigative Committee said all the people onboard may have died. It said it will send an investigation team to the scene to determine the cause of the crash.

Reuters news agency released footage of what it says is the plane crashing in Tver. It shows an aircraft plummeting to the ground and someone saying there were two explosions.

Photos purportedly taken at the crash site show several people gathering near what appears to be the wreckage of the plane in flames.

Prigozhin boasted of the success of the Wagner Group on the battlefield of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine during Russia's invasion.

But as he grew increasingly at odds with Russia's defense ministry, he and his fighters staged a short-lived mutiny in Russia on June 24. Prigozhin later moved to Russia's neighboring ally, Belarus.

On Monday, Prigozhin released a video message on social media purportedly filmed in Africa.

US President Joe Biden told reporters in California on Wednesday that he did not know for a fact what happened, but was not surprised to learn of the plane crash.

When asked if he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin had anything to do with it, Biden said, "There is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind, but I don't know enough to know the answer."