MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin‘s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov Friday rejected allegations as “absolute lie” that the Kremlin was behind a plane crash that is presumed to have killed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who conducted a brief but shocking mutiny in Russia two months ago.
Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board the plane, was eulogised by Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian leader was behind a Wednesday crash that many saw as an assassination. A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that the plane was downed by an intentional explosion.
One of the US and Western officials who described the initial US assessment said it determined that Prigozhin was “very likely” targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.”
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not offer details about what caused the explosion, which was widely believed to be vengeance for the mutiny in June.
“Right now, there are lots of speculations around this plane crash…,” Peskov said. “Of course, in the West those speculations are put out under a certain angle… All of this is an absolute lie, and when covering this issue, it is necessary to base yourself on facts. There are not many facts yet…”
Asked whether the Kremlin has received an official confirmation of Prigozhin’s death, Peskov referenced Putin’s remarks from a day earlier: “He said right now all necessary forensic analyses will be carried out. Once some kind of official conclusions are ready, they will be released.”
Sergei Mironov, leader of pro-Kremlin Fair Russia party, said on Telegram Prigozhin had “messed with too many people in Russia, Ukraine and the West… It now seems that, his number of enemies reached a critical point.” Agencies
Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board the plane, was eulogised by Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian leader was behind a Wednesday crash that many saw as an assassination. A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that the plane was downed by an intentional explosion.
One of the US and Western officials who described the initial US assessment said it determined that Prigozhin was “very likely” targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.”
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not offer details about what caused the explosion, which was widely believed to be vengeance for the mutiny in June.
“Right now, there are lots of speculations around this plane crash…,” Peskov said. “Of course, in the West those speculations are put out under a certain angle… All of this is an absolute lie, and when covering this issue, it is necessary to base yourself on facts. There are not many facts yet…”
Asked whether the Kremlin has received an official confirmation of Prigozhin’s death, Peskov referenced Putin’s remarks from a day earlier: “He said right now all necessary forensic analyses will be carried out. Once some kind of official conclusions are ready, they will be released.”
Sergei Mironov, leader of pro-Kremlin Fair Russia party, said on Telegram Prigozhin had “messed with too many people in Russia, Ukraine and the West… It now seems that, his number of enemies reached a critical point.” Agencies