Moscow, 25 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has rejected speculation that the Kremlin was involved in the plane crash that is presumed to have killed Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"This is an absolute lie," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday in Moscow.

Speculation about the plane crash on Wednesday was "fuelled in the West from a certain corner," Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

He noted that the Kremlin has yet to confirm Prigozhin's death.

"When the official results are ready for publication, they will be published," he said.

Prigozhin had been a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his mercenary force had played a major role in the Ukraine war, but in June he led a mutiny against the Russian military leadership and was branded a traitor.