The company's operation in CAR has reportedly prevented a coup in the country, as it has been responsible for training the military and conducting joint missions against rebels across the republic.
"It’s sad news, he [Prigozhin] saved democracy, so the country’s in mourning. But for us it changes absolutely nothing," the CAR presidential adviser said, adding that CAR's agreement with the Kremlin provides for the further presence of Wagner forces in the country.
Moscow, for its part, had recently noted that the presence of the instructors concerned in Africa was governed directly by the contracts concluded between the African countries and the group.
"The fate of these agreements must be decided by the governments of the countries concerned," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press briefing on June 30.
Moreover, Russian presidency had made it clear that the Wagner paramilitary group's work in Africa is a private matter and the Russian state had nothing to do with it.
On Wednesday, a private airplane with 10 people on board crashed in Russia's Tver Region on the way from Moscow to St. Petersburg, leaving no survivors. According to Russia's aviation agency, Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on the plane. An investigation into the accident is underway.