Kremlin calls accusations it killed Prigozhin 'lies'

STORY: The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the suspected death of Wagner mercenary head Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Western politicians and commentators have suggested, without evidence, that Prigozhin was assassinated on Moscow's orders.

Prigozhin's failed mutiny, exactly two months before the crash, was the biggest challenge to Putin's rule since he came to power in 1999.

But speaking on Friday (August 25), President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said allegations that Russia gave an order to kill him were a lie.

"There is now a great deal of speculation surrounding this plane crash and the tragic deaths of the plane's passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin. Of course, in the West, all this speculation is presented from a well-known angle. All of this is an absolute lie, and it is necessary to rely exclusively on facts when covering this issue. There are not many facts yet, because they need to be established in the course of investigative actions, which are taking place at the moment. Yesterday, speaking on this topic, the president said he was waiting for the results of the investigation that would be finished in the near future and we would find out the details."

Russia's aviation authority has said Prigozhin was on board a private jet, which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors.

But Peskov declined to definitively confirm his death, citing the need to wait for test results.

Despite this, on Thursday Putin publicly sent his condolences to the families of those killed…

… and spoke of Prigozhin in the past tense saying he made some "serious mistakes."

Western politicians have suggested, again without evidence, that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in order to punish him for launching the June mutiny.

Russian investigators have opened a probe into what happened, but have not yet said what they suspect caused the plane to fall from the sky.

Nor have they officially confirmed the identities of the 10 bodies recovered from the wreckage.

British military intelligence said on Friday it is “highly likely” Prigozhin is dead.

The Pentagon has said its own initial assessment is that Prigozhin was killed.

Russia's 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.