Who is
Yevgeny Prigozhin
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, a Russian businessman and mercenary commander born on June 1, 1961, is a loyal ally of Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin frequently gets by the moniker “Putin’s chef” since he owns eateries and catering businesses that provide services to the Kremlin. Violetta Prigozhina gave birth to and raised Prigozhin in the Soviet Union’s Leningrad, which is now Saint Petersburg.
Prigozhin dreamed of becoming a pro-cross-country skier while still a student. He learned the sport from his stepfather Samuil Zharkoy, and in 1977 he earned his diploma from a prominent boarding school for sportsmen. His athletic career, however, came to a disastrous end.
Currently, Prigozhin, a former Soviet prisoner, is in charge of a network of important businesses, including the Wagner Group, a state-backed mercenary firm, and three other businesses that have been implicated in meddling in the 2016 and 2018 US presidential elections. In 2022, Bellingcat, The Insider, and Der Spiegel conducted investigations into Prigozhin’s activities and found that they “are tightly integrated with Russia’s Defence Ministry and its intelligence arm, the GRU.”
Biography of the Leader of the Wagner Group
Yevgeny Prigozhin founder of the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization was born in Saint Petersburg on June 1, 1961.
Prigozhin claims to be the creator of Wagner Group, a notorious Kremlin-connected private defence contractor. On September 26, 2022, Prigozhin revealed that he formed the Wagner Group in May 2014 particularly to support Russian military forces in the Donbas battle. Their initiatives have now spread to other African and Middle Eastern countries.
Prigozhin has consistently denied any role in Russian meddling in US elections. In November 2022, he acknowledged his role in such initiatives and vowed that they will continue. He claimed to be the inventor and long-time manager of the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company suspected of online propaganda operations, in February 2023.
Prigozhin, his businesses, and associates are subject to criminal and financial sanctions in the US in addition to continuing to be a designated person in the UK. A reward of up to $250,000 is being offered by the FBI for information that results in Prigozhin’s capture.
