Video has emerged showing the moment a plane – said to have mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on board – was seen plummeting towards the ground.
In the footage the aircraft spirals vertically out of the sky towards the ground, followed by a trail of smoke.
Other video purportedly shows an aircraft fuselage on the ground in flames.
The head of the Wagner Group was listed as a passenger on the private jet, according to the Russian Aviation Agency.
Fate of Prigozhin unknown – follow live updates
It came down north of Moscow and was travelling from the capital to St Petersburg.
TASS news agency reported 10 people were on board, while Russian state news agency RIA later reported eight bodies had been discovered at the crash site, citing emergency services.
