Russia says it has deployed a new nuclear missile

The others on board were Wagner’s associates, and three were flight crew members: two pilots and a flight attendant. Here’s what The Times learned about them.

Valerie chkalov

Wagner’s logistics chief, Mr. Chekalov, 47, oversaw several of Mr. Prigozhin’s projects abroad, including in Syria and Africa, according to the Dossier Center, a Russian opposition news outlet based in London.

Last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs penalties imposed against Mr. Chekalov for acting on behalf of Mr. Prigozhin and facilitating munitions shipments to Russia.

He was buried on Tuesday at the Northern Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Yevgeny Makaryan

Mr. Makarian joined Wagner in March 2016 and fought with Wagner offensive forces in Syria in 2018, according to the Dossier Center.

He was wounded that year, according to the center, when American planes responded to an attack. The New York Times reported in its retelling of the battle that pro-Syrian fighters, including Wagner mercenaries, attacked American, Kurdish and Arab forces in western Syria in one of the bloodiest battles involving American forces fighting ISIS.

Sergey Propostin

Mr. Probostin, 44, was one of Mr. Prigozhin’s bodyguards.

Local media reported that he was from Novocherkassk in Russia’s Rostov region.

He had participated in the second Chechen war, which ended in 2009, according to the “Dossier” center. Russian media reported that he was injured.

Media reports said he joined Wagner in March 2015, and moved to St. Petersburg shortly after meeting Prigozhin, although it was not clear when this happened.

Nikolai Mateusev

The Dossier Center said that it was unable to find a person with that name on Wagner’s employee lists, but it found Nikolai Matusevich, who had served with Wagner since January 2017 and fought in Syria.

Alexander Totmin

According to his social media accounts, Mr. Totmin, 28, was also one of Mr. Prigozhin’s bodyguards. Biographical information and publications in the accounts indicate that he was a native of the Altai Territory in Western Siberia.

Alexey Levshin

Mr. Levchin was the pilot of the plane. He was from Russia’s Tambov region, which is south of Moscow and a few hundred miles east of the Ukrainian border, and had always wanted to be a pilot, according to interviews with his family members given to Russian media.

He reportedly attended the Sasovsky Civil Aviation School in the Ryazan region, which lies between Tambov and Moscow, as well as the St. Petersburg Civil Aviation Academy.

His wife, Svetlana, told Russian media that he had worked in the aviation industry for seven years and was at home for a short time before leaving for the plane that crashed.

His daughter, Anastasia, told Russian television station RBK that he had worked with Mr Prigozhin for several years. “My dad was a very good person,” she said. “He was outgoing, had a kind heart, helped everyone, loved life, was a hardworking and wonderful husband and father. He loved us so much, always felt that way, caring, generous and a real family man.

Rustam Karimov

Karimov, 29, was the plane’s co-pilot. According to Russian media, he was born in Perm, an industrial center near the Ural Mountains, and has lived in Saint Petersburg.

His father, Shukur Karimov, told Russian media that Karimov served in the army before working for S7 Airlines, one of Russia’s largest passenger carriers. He moved to St. Petersburg for a new job a couple of months ago.

Before his last trip, Mr. Karimov called his mother to inform her that he was going to fly.

It is not clear whether Mr. Karimov is known to have worked with Mr. Prigozhin in the past. His father said his son did not know Mr. Prigozhin would be on the plane, adding that he was “just a pilot”.

Christina Raspopova

Ms. Raspopova, 39, was the flight attendant and the only woman on board.

She was born in Kazakhstan, studied at the Moscow University of Law and Finance, and was divorced, according to her Facebook page. According to her social media profiles, Ms. Raspopova was a “VIP hostess” living in Moscow, her hometown.

Her last Facebook post, a picture of her suitcase and meal, came the day before the plane crash.