"Putin's Absence at Wagner Chief's Funeral Raises Questions About Russia's Mafia State"

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner Group who died in a plane crash, has been buried at a cemetery in St Petersburg. The funeral was held in a closed format, away from the media, in contrast to Prigozhin's previous self-publicizing style. The event could not be turned into a large-scale public show of support due to the secrecy surrounding it. Prigozhin was admired by some in Russia for his involvement in the war in Ukraine and his criticism of the Russian military. The White House suggested that the Kremlin was responsible for his death, but the Kremlin denied this.