Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin won’t attend Prigozhin’s funeral, says Kremlin; more than 1,300 schools destroyed in war, Unicef says

Vladimir Putin won’t attend Yevgeny Prigozhin’s funeral, Kremlin says

Vladimir Putin has no plans to attend the funeral of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

He told reporters the Kremlin did not know about the planned funeral arrangements, saying this was a matter for the family, according to Reuters.

Russia’s investigative committee on Sunday confirmed Prigozhin was among the people killed in a plane crash last Wednesday. The committee said in a statement that after forensic testing, all 10 bodies recovered at the site had been identified, and their identities “conform to the manifest”.

The Kremlin has denied it killed the Wagner chief, calling western intelligence assessments of Putin’s potential involvement “an absolute lie”.

Prigozhin had refused to submit his mercenaries to direct state control, despite a direct request from Putin during a meeting at the Kremlin in June. His armed uprising that month came days before a deadline that would have forced the group to sign military contracts.

A portrait of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin sits at an informal memorial in his tribute in Moscow, Russia. Photograph: Maxim Shipenkov/EPA