A behind-closed-doors "farewell ceremony" has been held for the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin – a funeral avoided by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Secrecy had surrounded the funeral arrangements for Prigozhin, killed in a plane crash on 23 August, two months to the day since staging a 24-hour mutiny that was the biggest challenge to Putin's authority since he rose to power in 1999. The low-key ceremony stands in stark contrast to aggressive self-promotion, with videos from Ukraine having become a regular fixture of Prigozhin's months-long feud with Moscow's military command over the invasion Putin started. That ended with his forces marching on Moscow, only stopping 125 miles from the capital when a deal was struck with the Kremlin. "The farewell to Yevgeny Viktorovich took place in a closed format. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery," his press service said in a short post on Telegram, accompanied by a photo of Prigozhin. But the seemingly private ceremony suits the Kremlin and Putin, with Prigozhin having gone from years-long ally of the Russian president to being branded a "traitor" over his armed uprising. It meant that the event could not be turned into a large-scale show of support for the Wagner chief, who as well as collecting enemies had gained admiration among some of Moscow's elite for throwing his troops into some of the bloodiest battles of Putin's war. That included around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, control of which has gained symbolic significance for both Kyiv and Moscow. Wagner forces were at the vanguard of that fight and helped Russian forces take it – although fierce battles continue around the suburbs of the ruined city. Hence why Putin and the Kremlin have to walk a fine line in not denigrating Prigozhin, despite few observers believing the Russian president would let the embarrassment of the Wagner mutiny stand without retribution. Comments from Putin have reflected that stance. Putin's comments on Prigozhin's death reflected that careful stand. He noted last week that Wagner leaders "made a significant contribution" to the fighting in Ukraine and described Prigozhin as a "talented businessman" and "a man of difficult fate" who had "made serious mistakes in life." Pictures published on social media showed Prigozhin's dark granite tombstone surrounded by a sea of flowers, mostly red roses, in the cemetery on the northeast edge of his hometown. Other makeshift memorials have appeared in recent days in both Moscow and St Petersburg. Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, noted that Prigozhin has become a legendary figure for his supporters who are increasingly critical of the authorities. "Prigozhin's funeral raises an issue of communication between the bureaucratic Russian government system that doesn't have much political potential and politically active patriotic segment of the Russian public," Markov said. Russia's top criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, officially confirmed Prigozhin's death on Sunday, but i has not given a cause for the crash. A number of leaders in the West, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, have suggested that nothing of this magnitude could occur in Russia without Putin's knowledge. The Kremlin has claimed that such accusations are an "absolute lie". The Kremlin had confirmed earlier on Tuesday that Putin would not attend Prigozhin's funeral. Also on Tuesday, prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin failed in an appeal against his pre-trial detention on charges of inciting extremism, a Moscow court said. Girkin, also known as Strelkov, has fiercely criticised the way that Russia has conducted the war in Ukraine and his arrest was seen as an extension of a crackdown on dissent by Putin. The Embraer Legacy 600 private jet on which Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed north of Moscow with the loss of all 10 people on board, including top Wagner bosses Dmitry Utkin and Valery Chekalov, and a crew of three. Earlier on Tuesday, Chekalov, the head of Wagner logistics, was buried at another St Petersburg cemetery. His family was joined by dozens of people, including Wagner mercenaries and employees from Prigozhin's business empire. On the battlefield in Ukraine, a military spokesperson said Kyiv's forces were advancing against Russian forces in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia after recapturing Robotyne, the latest of a cluster of villages it says it has taken back in recent weeks. Kyiv also said its troops had had some "success" in the direction of the village of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region, but gave no details. Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said fighting was heavy in the country but that Ukrainian forces were making progress around Bakhmut, while Russian shelling killed a 45-year-old man and wounded at least one other person in the northeastern Ukrainian town of Kupiansk. Russia also said it had downed two drones over the Black Sea it said were launched by Ukraine. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Russian hard-line nationalist ordered to stay in prison after accusing Putin of weakness Key questions around James Cleverly’s visit to China Putin ‘too busy’ to face world leaders at G20

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Gareth Southgate has been pleased by England’s progress during an unbeaten 2023 but knows there is work to do as the team tries to win the European Championship. The Euro 2020 runners-up are among the favourites to win in Germany next summer but seemed to lose their edge after sealing qualification with two matches to spare. Friday’s uninspiring 2-0 Wembley win against minnows Malta was followed three days later by an underwhelming 1-1 draw in North Macedonia as the curtain came down on an undefeated year. November’s double-header will not live long in the memory but Southgate has “learned a lot” from the fixtures, with attention now intensifying on his fourth – and possibly final – major tournament in the dugout. “We wanted to look at a few different things as well, so we’ve managed to learn from the game as well as the result,” the England boss said in Skopje. “I have to be pleased with the progress of the team. You know, if you’d said at the start of the campaign that we would be eight wins, two draws at the end of the year, it’s a pretty good record given the fixtures that we’ve had. “(North Macedonia) was always a game where we knew if you’d needed to come here for that point to qualify would be a very difficult place to come. They took the draw from Italy as well, so credit to North Macedonia for that. “We can now start to look forward. We’ve got these two exciting games in March to look forward to and prepare for. “So, yeah, I think we’ve done a lot of things well, but there’s always room for improvement.” March’s home friendlies against Brazil and Belgium will provide much-needed challenges in the final meet-up before Southgate selects his 23-man squad for Germany. Two further preparation games will follow before the Euros get under way, with the December 2 draw in Hamburg providing clarity on next summer’s opposition, base camp and potential route to the final. I think we've done a lot of things well, but there's always room for improvement. Gareth Southgate England’s draw against Macedonia rubber-stamped their place among the top seeds for the Euro 2024 draw and Southgate said: “In the calendar year we’re eight wins and two draws from a particularly tough qualifying group and certainly a friendly in Scotland that was always going to be challenging. “Of course, you’d like 10 wins out of 10 but not many teams do that. “I’m really pleased with what the players have given – not just the players that are here tonight, but the players that have represented us through this year because they’ve been excellent.” Harry Kane has, unsurprisingly, been among the standout performers this year but questions about the Bayern Munich sharpshooter’s back-up remain. Callum Wilson, Ivan Toney, Eddie Nketiah and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have all been selected in recent times, but Ollie Watkins is the current frontrunner for the job. The Aston Villa striker had the chance to underline that status against Macedonia but was replaced by Kane just 58 minutes into a frustrating night in Skopje, where the skipper made an immediate impact as he forced Jani Atanasov into an own goal equaliser. “Look, it was a difficult game,” Southgate said when asked about Watkins. “Very little space, back five, so we’re dealing with three centre-backs, really, and we weren’t quite able to create the clear chance for him. “But he did fine. It’s not easy when you’re coming in in those circumstances but that’s international football. “Of course, he’s had games where there’s been more opportunities to score and he’s done that well with us. “(This) was a different sort of test and, yeah, as a team, it was hard to find the spaces and find the gaps even though moments Phil (Foden) found lovely little passes and Trent (Alexander-Arnold) did. “It was so crowded around the edge of that box to find those clear chances for our forwards.” Read More Kyle Walker urges England to get mentality right in bid for Euro 2024 glory Phil Taylor to retire at the end of World Senior Darts Tour in 2024 On this day in 2007: England fail to qualify for Euro 2008 after Croatia defeat Jalen Hurts grabs double as Philadelphia Eagles avenge Super Bowl loss Gareth Southgate hails Rico Lewis after strong England debut in North Macedonia Michael O’Neill calls Northern Ireland win over Denmark step in right direction

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Russian forces allegedly gunned down an entire family of nine, including two young children, as they slept in their beds in the Russia-occupied town of Volnovakha in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk, officials in Kyiv said. Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russian soldiers killed all members of the Kapkanets family on 27 October after the civilians refused to give them control of their house. According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office in Donetsk, the attackers were in army uniforms and had demanded the family house be vacated, leading to an argument. "According to preliminary information, the occupiers have killed the whole of the Kapkanets family, who were celebrating a birthday and who had refused to hand their own house over to occupiers from Chechnya," he said on his official Telegram channel. The suspects came back later as the family slept and gunned down the members, as per media reports. Mr Lubinets said that the “Russians’s bloodied hands were involved” in the killings, “just as traces of Russian torture were discovered in Bucha, Irpin, Izyum and other Ukrainian cities”. The Ukrainian Donetsk Region Prosecutor’s Office alleged multiple family members were shot while in their beds, still tucked in each others arms, according to CNN. Two children born in 2014 and 2018 were among the victims. Russian authorities have said two Russian soldiers were arrested over the killings. “According to preliminary information, the motive for the crime was a domestic conflict,” Russia’s official Investigations Committee said in a statement. The suspects were “Russian military servicemen from the Far East serving under contract”, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Donetsk People’s Republic said in a statement. An investigation was launched in connection with the murders, the committee said. Multiple Russian news channels on Telegram who have spoken to the neighbours of the victims blamed the Russian military for the deaths. “All of the neighbours are saying that the killers were in the military,” one neighbour told Astra, a Russian news channel, adding that locals in the area were scared. The Ukrainian town Volnovakha has remained under Russian control for more than 20 months after being captured just weeks after the full-scale invasion began. Read More Kyiv troops advance on two fronts as Putin’s air defences ‘struck in Crimea’ – live How much money does the US give to Israel, and is there more to come? GOP vows to bring Israel package to floor this week – without Ukraine funding Oil prices could reach 'uncharted waters' if the Israel-Hamas war escalates, the World Bank says If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia Putin ally Lukashenko calls for ceasefire in ‘stalemate’ Ukraine war