'Absolute lie': Russia rejects Prigozhin killed on Kremlin order

The Kremlin has rejected as "absolute lies" rumors it had ordered the death of the controversial leader of the private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Prigozhin, who had led a brief mutiny in Russia two months ago, is believed to have been onboard a private jet that crashed on Wednesday in Russia's Tver region with no survivors.

Western media and the Kremlin critics were quick to fuel speculations that the Wagner chief was killed by the Kremlin's order.

"Of course, in the West, this speculation is being presented from a certain angle. All of this is an absolute lie," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, urging patience and adding that ongoing probes would reveal facts about the fatal crash.

"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," he added.

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• Russian president sends condolences to Prigozhin's family after plane crash

On Thursday, Putin offered condolences to the families of the deceased and described the incident as a "tragedy." He said he had known Prigozhin since the early 1990s, however, noting that, Prigozhin had made some "serious mistakes in his life" and had a "complicated fate."

In the meantime, Moscow has yet not confirmed Prigozhin's death. Russia opened an investigation into air traffic violations but has so far not disclosed details of the probe or the incident.

The fate of Prigozhin's private army Wagner, which has shot up in influence over the last decade, also remains unclear. "I can't tell you anything right now. I don't know," Peskov said, referring to what comes next for the paramilitary group.

Since its establishment in 2014, Wagner took part in conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, as well as Ukraine, all of the time at the behest of the Kremlin.

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• Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin dies in plane crash in Russia: Reports

"As the president has said many times, the Wagner group made a great contribution to the special military operation," Peskov said, using Kremlin-approved vocabulary to describe the war. "The heroism of these people will not be forgotten. That is what the president said."

'Wagner to live in Belarus'

As part of the deal that ended Prigozhin's mutiny, Wagner fighters set up camp in neighboring Belarus.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that the group would remain in his country. "Wagner lived, is alive, and will live in Belarus," Lukashenko was quoted as saying by state-run news agency Belta.

Lukashenko, who sealed the deal between Putin and Prigozhin, said he could not imagine Putin ordering such an act. He reckoned it was unlikely that Putin was behind the death of Prigozhin because such work was out of character for him.

"He is a calculating, very calm and even slow person, making decisions on other, less complicated issues. So I can't imagine that Putin did it, that Putin is to blame. It's too rough, unprofessional work, if anything," Lukashenko said.

Prigozhin 'likely' killed: US

Meanwhile, during a press conference held in Washington, DC on Thursday, the Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said Prigozhin was "likely" killed.

"Our initial assessment is that it's likely Prigozhin was killed, we're continuing to assess the situation", said Ryder.

He also dismissed as "inaccurate" reports that the private jet was shot down near Moscow with a surface-to-air missile.

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• Belarus president says Wagner chief in Russia; Kremlin says ‘not following’ Prigozhin’s movements

Following the deadly crash, the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia (Rosaviation) the passenger list included both Prigozhin and one of the commanders of his group, Dmitry Utkin.

According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) preliminary data, the private plane traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed near the Kuzhenkino settlement in the Tver region, killing all 10 people on board, including three crew members.

Biden slammed for undiplomatic comments  

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was not surprised by the reports of Prigozhin's death, claiming, " There is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, however, scolded Biden, noting that such remarks illustrated Washington's disregard for diplomacy.

"Still, it is not for the US president, in my opinion, to talk about such tragic events of this kind," Ryabkov was quoted by the state TASS news agency as saying on Friday.

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