WASHINGTON, August 25. /TASS/. The US Department of Defense believes that PMC Wagner is posing threat for US national security and Washington continues keeping an eye on it, Department of Defense Press Secretary Patrick Ryder said at a regular briefing.

PMC Wagner is "the real threat," the press secretary said, adding that the Pentagon will continue monitoring it.

According to the US, PMC Wagner is "no longer a factor on the battlefield in Ukraine," Ryder noted. "Those forces essentially were removed from the battlefield," he added.

The US will continue keeping an eye on Wagner’s operations in Africa, the press secretary said. "I don't think anybody's going to discount the potential for danger when it comes to that group or the remnants of that group. So we'll continue to keep a close eye on it," Ryder informed.

According to preliminary assessments, the Pentagon believes PMC Wagner’s founder Evgeny Prigozhin is given up for lost, the press secretary added. The Department of Defense continues assessing the situation.

The Embraer business jet, en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg, crashed in the Tver Region, just north of Moscow, late on August 23. According to preliminary reports, all ten people on board were killed. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that Prigozhin was on the passenger list. The agency is looking into the causes of the crash. A criminal investigation has been launched into a violation of safety regulations and rules for the operation of air transport.