On Wagner boss Prigozhin's death, Elon Musk says took ‘longer than I expected’
Wagner mercenary chief Prigozhin, who launched a brief mutiny against Putin in June, dies in a plane crash; Very few were surprised by the news.
When the news of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's death in a plane crash broke on Wednesday, few were surprised. Prigozhin's fate has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted the armed rebellion against Russia's military leadership, angering President Vladimir Putin.
Putin, in a televised address, had vowed to punish those behind the rebellion, calling the mutiny by Prigozhin, who was once his chef, “betrayal” and “treason.”
Reacting to the reports of Prigozhin's death, a social media user said, “That didn't take too long.”
Billionaire investor and 'X' owner Elon Musk replied, “Longer than I expected.”
“Slight chance this is a psy op,” he added.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he was not surprised by reports that Prigozhin had died in a plane crash, adding that not much happens in Russia that President Putin is not behind. The White House said Biden had been briefed on the crash and he told reporters he did not know for a fact what had happened.
"But I’m not surprised," Biden said.
“There is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind, but I don’t know enough to know the answer.”
Biden and CIA Director Williams Burns spoke separately last month of the potential danger to Prigozhin after his actions, although somewhat in jest.
"If I were he, I’d be careful what I ate. I’d be keeping my eye on my menu," Biden said during a news conference with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto in July.
"But all kidding aside...I don't think any of us know for sure what the future of Prigozhin is in Russia."
Speaking a week later, CIA Director William Burns said: “I think Putin is someone who generally thinks that revenge is a dish best served cold ... If I were Prigozhin, I wouldn't fire my food taster.”
