Wagner chief Prigozhin killed
Ukraine’s armed forces have reportedly gained a foothold less than three miles from Russia’s defensive lines in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Kyiv’s General Staff said on Tuesday its forces had “achieved success ... within the re-captured frontiers” and were attacking detected enemy targets with artillery as well as carrying out counter battery measures.
This battlefield update comes on the same day that a spokesperson for the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has no plans to attend the funeral of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
During a press briefing, Dmitry Peskov told reporters the Kremlin did not know about the planned funeral arrangements, saying this was a matter for the family.
Prigozhin died when his business jet crashed last week, two months after he and his Wagner mercenaries staged a mutiny against Russian military commanders in which they took control of a southern city, Rostov, and advanced towards Moscow before turning back 200 km (125 miles) from the capital.
Western politicians and commentators have theorised Putin ordered Prighozin’s death as an act of vengeance, However, Peskov called the suggestion an “absolute lie”.
