President Joe Biden said he’s “not surprised” about the plane crash that reportedly killed Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, speculating Russian President Vladimir Putin may be responsible.
Prigozhin, the leader of Russia’s Wagner Group, was reportedly listed as being onboard a plane that crashed over Moscow on Wednesday. The Wagner Group had attempted a coup on the Russian capital in late June, arguing the Russian government was taking credit for their victories in the war on Ukraine. (RELATED: Russian Mercenary Leader Who Attempted Coup Listed As Passenger On Crashed Plane: REPORT)
Reuters’ Steve Holland asked Biden about the plane crash after the president exited a workout class.
“You may recall, when I was asked about this by you, I said I’d be careful what I rode in. I don’t know for a fact what happened but I’m not surprised,” Biden responded.
“There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer. I’ve been working out for the last hour and a half,” the president added.
This picture taken on July 4, 2017 shows Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin prior to a meeting with business leaders held by Russian and Chinese presidents at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Sergei ILNITSKY / POOL / AFP) (SERGEI ILNITSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden previously said he’d “be careful what I ate” if he were Prigozhin, after the mercenary leader failed to take Moscow.
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Embraer Legacy 600 jet crashed in Russia’s Tver region, killing Prigozhin and 9 other people.
The same jet was recently in Mali, just like Prigozhin!
pic.twitter.com/17CwMusgYH— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 23, 2023
Putin had expressed anger over the rebellion, saying those involved would “suffer inevitable punishment.”
Prigozhin’s last whereabouts were reported to be somewhere in Africa, after a video was published with him claiming he was in the continent and making Africa “more free,” CBS News reported.