Yevgeny Prigozhin was buried quietly in a leafy cemetery on the outskirts of St Petersburg on Tuesday, six days after the leader of the mercenary Wagner Group was killed in an unexplained plane crash.
"The farewell to Yevgeny Viktorovich took place in a closed format," Mr Prigozhin's press service said in a short post on Telegram.
"Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery."
The Wagner Group fought on the frontlines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Prigozhin died alongside his second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, logistics chief Valery Chekalov, and four bodyguards when his Embraer Legacy 600 private jet crashed north of Moscow on August 23.
His death came two months to the day after leading the Wagner Group in a brief mutiny against the defence establishment, which posed the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule since he rose to power in 1999.
Reuters photos and video late on Tuesday showed Prigozhin's grave strewn with flowers in the wooded cemetery, with a strong presence near by of police officers and members of the Rosgvardiya national guard.
Independent news outlet Agentstvo quoted a cemetery employee as saying only 20 to 30 friends and family had attended the ceremony and that it lasted only 40 minutes.
Chekalov was buried in a separate ceremony in the Severnoye cemetery in St Petersburg.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave her strongest statement yet about the possibility that the Kremlin directed the killing of Prigozhin.
"We all know that the Kremlin has a long history of killing opponents," she said. "It's very clear what happened here."
In recent days admirers had heaped flowers on makeshift shrines to Prigozhin in Moscow, St Petersburg and elsewhere.
The Kremlin has rejected as an "absolute lie" the suggestion that Mr Putin ordered his death in revenge for the June mutiny.
It said earlier on Tuesday that the President would not attend the funeral.
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
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China and the UAE agree comprehensive strategic partnership
China and the UAE forged even closer links between the two countries during the landmark state visit after finalising a ten-point agreement on a range of issues, from international affairs to the economy and trade and renewable energy.
1. Politics: The two countries agreed to support each other on issues of security and to work together on regional and international challenges. The nations also confirmed that the number of high-level state visits between China and the UAE will increase.
2. Economy: The UAE offers its full support to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which will combine a land 'economic belt" and a "maritime silk road" that will link China with the Arabian Gulf as well as Southeast, South and Central China, North Africa and, eventually, Europe.
3. Business and innovation: The two nations are committed to exploring new partnerships in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, energy, the aviation and transport industries and have vowed to build economic co-operation through the UAE-China Business Committee.
4. Education, science and technology: The Partnership Programme between Arab countries in Science and Technology will encourage young Emirati scientists to conduct research in China, while the nations will work together on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, renewable energy and space projects.
5. Renewable energy and water: The two countries will partner to develop renewable energy schemes and work to reduce climate change. The nations have also reiterated their support for the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency.
6. Oil and gas: The UAE and China will work in partnership in the crude oil trade and the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources.
7. Military and law enforcement and security fields: Joint training will take place between the Chinese and UAE armed forces, while the two nations will step up efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime.
8. Culture and humanitarian issues: Joint cultural projects will be developed and partnerships will be cultivated on the preservation of heritage, contemporary art and tourism.
9. Movement between countries: China and the UAE made clear their intent to encourage travel between the countries through a wide-ranging visa waiver agreement.
10. Implementing the strategic partnership: The Intergovernmental Co-operation Committee, established last year, will be used to ensure the objectives of the partnership are implemented.
