Vladimir Alexandrov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a mutiny against Russia's military, is thought dead after a plane crash.
- Some security officials and Soviet experts said Putin is likely behind the crash.
- But a Kremlin spokesperson told the BBC on Friday that the accusations are an "absolute lie."
Russia said Friday that it is an "absolute lie" that President Vladimir Putin ordered the death of Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call that there was "lots of speculation" around the fiery plane crash that killed seven passengers and three crew members in the Tver region outside of Moscow on Wednesday. Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on the private plane.
"In the West of course this speculation comes from a certain angle," Peskov, according to the BBC. "It's all an absolute lie. Of course, when we talk about this issue we should be guided only by facts."
"We don't have many facts at the moment, the facts need to be clarified during the official investigation which is being carried out now," he added.
It is unclear how the jet crashed, but there has been long-standing suspicion that Prigozhin could face revenge from Putin after the Wagner chief led a short-lived armed uprising in June against Russia's military.
The mutiny failed, and while Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus, he continued to do business with his catering company in Russia.
After a day of silence, Putin spoke on the suspected death of Prigozhin on Thursday, saying in a televised Kremlin meeting that the Wagner leader, who was once his ally, was a "man of complicated fate" who made "serious mistakes."
"I want to express my sincere condolences to the families of all the victims, this is always a tragedy," Putin also said, according to CNN, adding, "Preliminary information suggests that Wagner Group employees were also on board."
Few in the West believe that Putin was not behind Prigozhin's suspected death.
The UK Ministry of Defense on Friday said it was "highly likely" that Prigozhin died in the plane crash, although it said there was no "definitive proof" the warlord was aboard the flight.
US officials also said they are still working on the assumption that Putin was behind the crashed flight.
An assassination ordered by Putin represents the "best explanation" for Wednesday's plane crash, experts previously told Insider.