Kremlin denies role in Russia plane crash believed to have killed Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin

​Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has rejected allegations the Kremlin was behind a plane crash that is presumed to have killed Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call: "Right now, of course, there are lots of speculations around this plane crash and the tragic deaths of the passengers of the plane, including Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"Of course, in the West those speculations are put out under a certain angle, and all of it is a complete lie."

Asked whether the Kremlin has received an official confirmation of mercenary group leader Mr Prigozhin's death, Mr Peskov referenced the Russian president's remarks from a day earlier: "He said that right now all the necessary forensic analyses, including genetic testing, will be carried out.

Russian president Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow. Picture: Pavel Byrkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

"Once some kind of official conclusions are ready to be released, they will be released."

A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded the plane was downed by an intentional explosion.

One of the US and Western officials who described the initial American assessment said it determined Mr Prigozhin was "very likely" targeted and the explosion falls in line with Mr Putin's "long history of trying to silence his critics".

Mr Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board the plane, was eulogised by Mr Putin, even as suspicions grew the Russian leader was behind the crash on Wednesday that many saw as an assassination.

The UK's Ministry of Defence said the presumed death of Mr Prigozhin in a plane crash could destabilise the Wagner Group.

The ministry said of Mr Prigozhin: "His personal attributes of hyperactivity, exceptional audacity, a drive for results and extreme brutality permeated Wagner and are unlikely to be matched by any successor."

Wagner mercenaries were key elements of Russia's forces in its war in Ukraine, particularly in the months-long fight to take the city of Bakhmut, the conflict's most gruelling battle.

The group's fighters also have played a central role projecting Russian influence in global trouble spots, first in Africa and then in Syria.