Editor
The Kremlin on Friday heatedly denied blame for the presumed death of the mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, dismissing the idea that the Russian government had destroyed a business jet reportedly carrying Mr. Prigozhin as Western propaganda aimed at smearing President Vladimir V. Putin.
“An absolute lie,” said Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman.
The denials were repeated in various forms throughout the day by Russia’s foreign minister, state-controlled broadcasters and Mr….
