The chief of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, may have perished in a plane crash in Russia, according to reports, but US President Joe Biden claimed he was “not surprised” by the information on Wednesday.
“I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised,” Biden said.
“There’s not much that happens in Russia that (President Vladimir) Putin is not behind,” Biden told reporters after taking an exercise class with his family near Lake Tahoe.
“But I don’t know enough to know the answer” of what may have happened to the powerful former Putin henchman, he said.
According to Russian state media, Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger list of the plane that crashed northwest of Moscow.
Two months had passed since he sent Wagner on a hasty march on Moscow in an effort to overthrow the nation’s armed authorities.
Last month in Helsinki, Biden lightheartedly advised Prigozhin to be careful following his failed uprising because his special Wagner force had a significant impact on the war on Ukraine.
“If I were he, I’d be careful what I ate. I’d keep my eye on my menu,” Biden said.
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson also said Wednesday that no one should be surprised about Prigozhin’s sudden death, if confirmed.
She pointed to the June uprising and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The disastrous war in Ukraine led to a private army marching on Moscow, and now — it would seem — to this,” said Watson.
