Kremlin calls accusations it killed Wagner boss Prigozhin an 鈥榓bsolute lie鈥�

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner group that led mutiny against Russia's army in June, was on the list of passengers of plane that crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver Region. (File/AFP)
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  • Russia says investigation results are needed first
  • Moscow condemns US President鈥檚 comments as unacceptable

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said that Western suggestions Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had been killed on its orders were an 鈥渁bsolute lie鈥� while declining to definitively confirm his death, citing the need to wait for test results.
Russia鈥檚 aviation authority has said that Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, was on board a private jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors.
President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to Prigozhin鈥檚 family on Thursday, breaking his silence after the crash which occurred exactly two months to the day after Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against army chiefs.
Putin cited 鈥減reliminary information鈥� as indicating that Prigozhin and his top associates in the Wagner mercenary group had all been killed and, while praising Prigozhin, said he had also made some 鈥渟erious mistakes.鈥�
Western politicians and commentators have suggested, without presenting evidence, that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in order to punish him for launching the June 23-34 mutiny against the army鈥檚 leadership which also represented the biggest challenge to Putin鈥檚 own rule since he came to power in 1999.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the accusation and many others like it were false.
鈥淭here is now a great deal of speculation surrounding this plane crash and the tragic deaths of the plane鈥檚 passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin. Of course, in the West, all this speculation is presented from a well-known angle,鈥� Peskov told reporters.
鈥淎ll of this is an absolute lie, and here, when covering this issue, it is necessary to base yourself on facts. There are not many facts yet. They need to be established in the course of investigative actions,鈥� he said.
Earlier on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had scolded US President Joe Biden for expressing his lack of surprise that Prigozhin had been killed in a plane crash, accusing Biden of disregarding diplomatic norms.
鈥�WAIT FOR TEST RESULTS鈥�
Russian investigators have opened a probe into what happened, but have not yet said what they suspect caused the plane to suddenly fall from the sky northwest of Moscow.
Nor have they officially confirmed the identities of the 10 bodies recovered from the wreckage.
Asked if the Kremlin had received official confirmation of Prigozhin鈥檚 death, Peskov said: 鈥淚f you listened carefully to the Russian president鈥檚 statement, he said that all the necessary tests, including genetic tests, will now be carried out. The official results 鈥� as soon as they are ready to be published, will be published.鈥�
Peskov, who said Putin had not met Prigozhin recently, also said it was unclear how long the tests and investigative work would take.
It was therefore impossible to start talking about whether Putin would attend Prigozhin鈥檚 funeral, Peskov said in answer to a question on the subject.
鈥淭here are no dates for the funeral yet, it is impossible to talk about it at all. The only thing I can say is that the president has a rather busy schedule at the moment.鈥�
British military intelligence said on Friday there was not yet definitive proof that Prigozhin had been onboard but that it was 鈥渉ighly likely鈥� he was dead.
The Pentagon has said its own initial asessment is that Prigozhin was killed.
Russia鈥檚 Baza news outlet, which has good sources among law enforcement agencies, has reported that investigators are focusing on a theory that one or two bombs may have been planted on board the plane.
Asked about the future of the Wagner Group, which has series of lucrative contracts across Africa and a contingent in Belarus training the army there but now appears leaderless, Kremlin spokesman Peskov was concise.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you anything now, I don鈥檛 know,鈥� he said.