Yevgeny Prigozhin can be best described as a Russian oligarch and mercenary leader.
He is sometimes called “Putin’s chef” because he owns restaurants and catering companies that provide services for the Kremlin.
Prigozhin was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, in 1961.
He spent a decade in prison after being implicated in a number of robberies in the early 1980s.
After his release, he started his business as a modest hot dog seller in St. Petersburg.
Prigozhin is known for his work running a catering company with Kremlin contracts.
He is also the founder of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company.
Prigozhin has earned a reputation as a ruthless schemer who was obsequious to social superiors and often tyrannical to underlings as he rose to the top.
He was feared by many in Russia, and he was, at one point wanted by the FBI for electoral interference.
Yevgeny Prigozhin plane video
The Wagner Group chief is believed to have been one of the passengers on a private jet that crashed near Moscow, killing all 10 people on board
At the time of publishing this article, Prigozhin’s involvement in the crash is currently unfolding across news outlets.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, and investigations are ongoing.
The crash occurred in Russia’s Tver region, and emergency officials have confirmed that all 10 people on board were killed.
Prigozhin’s death, if confirmed, would be a significant blow to the Wagner Group, which has been linked to various conflicts around the world, including in Syria and Ukraine
Prigozhin, who is also known as “Putin’s chef,” has been sanctioned by the United States for his alleged involvement in Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
He has denied any wrongdoing and has been described as a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Wagner Group, which Prigozhin is believed to have led, is a private military company that has been linked to various conflicts around the world.
The group has been accused of fighting on behalf of the Russian government in Ukraine and Syria, among other places.
The group has also been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes.
Wagner Group
The Wagner Group is a private military company (PMC) composed of mercenaries, and has been described as a de facto private army of Prigozhin.
The group has been active in several African and Middle Eastern countries where it has participated in regional conflicts, exploited natural resources, and provided security services to authoritarian regimes.
The Wagner Group was first identified in 2014, when it was backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
At that time, it was a secretive organization, operating mostly in Africa and the Middle East, and is thought to have had only about 5,000 fighters – mostly veterans of Russia’s elite regiments and special forces.
Since then, it has grown considerably.
The group has been involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where it has been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes.
It has also been active in Syria and in various African countries, where it has participated in regional conflicts, exploited natural resources and provided security services to authoritarian regimes.
It is believed that there are now tens of thousands of mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine with the Wagner Group.
Additionally, the Wagner Group has ties to Russian white supremacist and neo-Nazi far-right extremists, per AJC.
From a legal perspective, Wagner doesn’t exist as a single entity, instead, it is a network of companies and groups.
The Wagner Group’s activities have been condemned by the international community, and the group has been sanctioned by the US and the EU for its role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
