Yevgeny Prigozhin

Biography

Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin was born on June 1, 1961, in Saint Petersburg, then called Leningrad, in the Soviet Union. He went to the Saint Petersburg college of the Olympics reserve N. 1 and later studied at the Saint Petersburg State Chemical-Pharmaceutical University. His early adult life included criminal activities, leading to time in a Soviet prison for robbery and fraud, before his release in the early 1990s. This time in prison was formative, shaping the cunning and survival-driven mindset that characterized his later career.

After his release, Prigozhin took advantage of the chaotic economy of post-Soviet Russia by getting into the food business, starting as a hot dog vendor on the streets of Saint Petersburg. He showed entrepreneurial skills suited for the tumultuous 1990s, eventually transitioning from street vending to larger business ventures. He opened restaurants and catering businesses in Saint Petersburg, including the popular New Island floating restaurant, which attracted many high-profile guests. His catering company, Concord, later secured substantial government contracts to provide food to Russian schools, hospitals, and military, boosting his financial status and earning him the nickname 'Putin's chef' after his services were used for Kremlin events.

Prigozhin's reach went beyond food services. By 2014, he was said to be the main backer and founder of the Wagner Group, a private military company working in countries like Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Sudan to support Russian state interests. Wagner played a big role in Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Prigozhin claiming victory credits, especially in the tough battle for the city of Bakhmut. In February 2023, he admitted his long-rumored role as the founder of the Internet Research Agency, a group accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, leading to significant international sanctions from the U.S., the European Union, and the U.K.

In the spring and early summer of 2023, Prigozhin intensified his public conflict with Russia's military leaders, accusing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of corruption and ineptitude, and of intentionally denying ammunition to Wagner fighters. On June 23, 2023, he led an armed rebellion, directing Wagner forces to capture the city of Rostov-on-Don and push toward Moscow, halting the advance the next day after a supposed deal was made by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Two months later, on August 23, 2023, Prigozhin died when a private jet flying from Moscow to Saint Petersburg crashed near Kuzhenkino, killing all ten people on board. Many Western governments and independent experts pointed to deliberate sabotage by the Russian state as the cause of the crash, though the Kremlin denied any involvement.