Kremlin says claims of Russian involvement in Prigozhin plane crash ‘absolute lie’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Kremlin on Friday said claims that Russia was behind the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin are an “absolute lie.”

“Now, of course, there is a lot of speculation around this plane crash and the tragic death of the passengers of the plane, including Yevgeny Prigozhin. Of course, in the West all these speculations are presented from a certain angle. All this is an absolute lie,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.

He said investigation into Wednesday's plane crash continues, and the results will be disclosed when they are available.

“If you carefully listened to the Russian president's (Vladimir Putin) statement yesterday, he said that all the necessary examinations, including genetic ones, would now be carried out. There are no official results (yet). As soon as they are ready to be published, they will be published,” he said.

Russian authorities have confirmed Prigozhin was on board a plane that crashed in Russia's Tver region. The Emergency Situations Ministry said all 10 people on the aircraft were killed.

President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims on Thursday, and described Prigozhin as a "talented man" with a "difficult fate." He said Moscow will thoroughly investigate the causes of the incident.