Yevgeny Prigozhin is a Russian businessman and the founder of the private military company Wagner Group.
He was born in 1961 in Leningrad and was a petty criminal as a young man.
He later transformed himself into a powerful businessman and a trusted warlord to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s top military brass in June 2023 and was described at the time by Putin as a “traitor”.
On August 23, 2023, Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a private jet that crashed in Russia’s Tver region, killing all 10 people on board.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, and investigations are ongoing.
The crash occurred just weeks after Prigozhin’s mutiny against Russia’s top military brass, leading to speculation that the crash may have been an assassination attempt.
However, there is no concrete evidence to support this theory.
Prigozhin’s Wagner Group has been accused of involvement in various conflicts, including the Syrian Civil War and the Ukrainian conflict.
The group has been linked to human rights abuses and war crimes, and its activities have been condemned by international organizations.
Prigozhin himself has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for his alleged involvement in election interference and other malign activities.
Yevgeny Prigozhin wife
Prigozhin was married to Lyubov Prigozhina, a pharmacist and businesswoman.
She owns a network of boutique stores known as the Chocolate Museum in Saint Petersburg.
In addition, Prigozhina started the Crystal Spa & Lounge, a day spa located in Saint Petersburg,
Prigozhina and Prigozhin have two children together.
Yevgeny Prigozhin parents
Prigozhin was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on June 1, 1961.
His father, Viktor Yevgenyevich Prigozhin, was a mining engineer who died when Yevgeny was nine years old.
His mother, Violetta Kirovna Prigozhina, was a hospital nurse who supported Yevgeny and his sick grandmother by working at a local hospital.
According to The Guardian, Yevgeny was sent to a sporting academy where daily activities often involved hours of cross-country skiing.
As a young man, the Wagner Group chief was a petty criminal.
He has been described as a ruthless schemer who was obsequious to social superiors and often tyrannical to underlings as he rose to the top.
He transformed himself into a powerful businessman and now a trusted warlord to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
