American president Joe Biden says the death of Russian mercenary group Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, did not come to him as a surprise, saying nothing happens in Russia without Vladimir Putin’s knowledge.

Mr Prigozhin, spearheaded a botched coup against Mr Putin’s leadership in June, and nine other persons were killed in a plane crash at Tver, just north of Moscow on Wednesday.

“I don’t know for a fact what happened but I’m not surprised,” Mr Biden said in a video by Sky News,  shortly after he was briefed about the tragic crash. 

Further asked if he thinks Mr Putin was behind the crash, Mr Biden said “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 Kremlin has yet to issue a statement.