One story dominates the front pages of Thursday’s newspapers as the plane crash which reportedly killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, takes centre stage.
All of the national titles carry some mention of the crash, with most featuring pictures of Mr Prigozhin – who led a failed mutiny against the Russian military in June – and flaming wreckage from the crash site north of Moscow.
The Daily Telegraph says Mr Prigozhin was one of 10 passengers who died in the crash, with security sources and allies pointing the finger Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The Times also says Russian missiles have been blamed and describes Mr Prigozhin as the “Wagner boss who crossed Putin”.
The i says the “Putin critic” was killed 60 days after the mutiny while the Financial Times reports Russian officials said Mr Prigozhin was on board the plane and that the US had warned he was in danger.
The Guardian simply says the Wagner chief was reported dead after the flight from Moscow to St Petersburg came down.
The Daily Mail says fingers are being pointed at the Russian president and asks “Was this Putin’s terrible revenge?”.
The Sun and the Daily Mirror have no such uncertainty as they both opt for the headline “Putin’s Revenge” over a picture of the crash site.
The Daily Express also uses a picture of the flaming wreckage as it declares Mr Prigozhin “paid the ultimate price” and says the incident was “no surprise”.
And the Daily Star says “no one at all shocked” at the reported death of Mr Prigozhin.
The Metro bucks the trend, relegating the plane crash to a plug as it gives over most of its front page to Indian celebrations after it became the fourth nation to land a mission on the moon.
And The Independent celebrates victory for its campaign – and “British decency” – as an Afghan pilot is granted asylum after fighting with UK forces against the Taliban.
