Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian mercenary organisation Wagner, was reported to have died on Wednesday in a Russian jet crash. He was reportedly one of the ten passengers on a jet traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Three crew members and all seven passengers were reportedly killed in the collision.
Here are 10 things you should know about the Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin
1. Yevgeny Prigozhin (age 62) was born in Leningrad, Russia, on June 1, 1961, and grew up with humble parents.
2. From Putin’s hometown of Saint Petersburg, Prigozhin once sold hotdogs for the homeless.
3. Before he learnt many crafts and turned them into chains of businesses, he was imprisoned for fraud and robbery.
4. His fast food business, which serves the Russian president and the Kremlin Armed Forces, earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef.” In Saint Petersburg during the 1990s, he began this fast food business.
5. After denying any involvement with the Wagner mercenary group for so long, Prigozhin finally acknowledged last year that he established it in 2014.
6. The Wagner group backs Moscow’s efforts to reclaim worldwide sway by assisting its friends in Central Africa, Syria, and Libya.
7. Since last February, The Wagner Group, which has an army of over 25,000 soldiers, has played a significant role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
8. Prigozhin has been the subject of sanctions from the US and the EU for his actions, and the US Department of Justice has been looking into him for potential criminal charges since December 2016.
9. Despite denying any involvement and pointing to considerable investment from his firms, he is connected to the Internet Research Agency, popularly known as the “Troll Factory.”
10. In June of this year, he made headlines for rebelling against Russia and endorsing its invasion of Ukraine. In Rostov-on-Don, Prigozhin organized a revolt that prompted harsh retaliation from Moscow. By permitting Prigozhin to travel to Belarus, the Kremlin consented to put an end to the uprising.
