Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's chief killed in plane crash
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Russia's mercenary force Wagner Group, reportedly died in a plane crash two months after leading an unsuccessful coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin. He gained prominence following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Once dubbed Putin's "personal chef," Prigozhin was a low-profile businessman benefiting from his closeness to the former. From being a Putin loyalist to baying for his blood, let's take a look at Prigozhin's transition and the highlights of his life.
Spent nearly decade in jail in Soviet Russia
Born in 1961 in Saint Petersburg, also Putin's hometown, Prigozhin was convicted of fraud and robbery in the early 1980s and spent nearly a decade in prison. He was released from prison in 1990, around the time the Soviet Union collapsed. He then started his business selling hot dogs in Saint Petersburg, per The Guardian. In 1995, he established a chain of restaurants and catering companies. Soon, he won catering contracts for schools and Russia's armed forces.
Rise as an oligarch
Prigozhin soon grew closer to Russia's ruling class, and subsequently, Putin came to power in 2000. He was reportedly given preference while awarding big government contracts, and Putin even visited his food processing factory in 2010. In 2014, Prigozhin diversified into the private military sector and founded the Wagner Group during Russia's annexation of Crimea and the Russian-backed separatist movement in eastern Ukraine's Donbas. Following this, the group fought for Russian-backed causes in several countries, especially on the African continent.
Interference in 2016 US presidential elections
The Wagner Group became Putin's proxy army, fighting in Syria to support Bashar al-Assad in 2015, where the group was accused of war crimes. Prigozhin also set up the Internet Research Agency (IRA), termed a "troll farm," in Saint Petersburg, allegedly to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election. His network was linked to social media accounts supporting Donald Trump, who later won the election. In 2018, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the IRA for alleged election interference.
Taking center stage in Ukraine war
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Prigozhin reportedly lured Russian convicts with promises of pardons to fight for Russia as mercenaries. While the Russian military faced setbacks in the war, the Wagner group outshone the former by capturing the crucial Ukrainian towns of Bakmut and Soledar in May 2023. However, the rift between Prigozhin and Russia's Defense Ministry became evident when he accused the latter of "treason" for intentionally depriving his forces of ammunition and threatened to pull out his troops.
Wagner's mutiny: Rebellion against Putin
In June, Prigozhin spearheaded a mutiny during which Wagner fighters seized control of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and shot down military helicopters, killing their pilots, as they advanced toward Moscow. Putin condemned the act as treachery and vowed a harsh response. The rebellion was eventually quelled through a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Under the agreement, Prigozhin and his fighters were to depart for Belarus, and the criminal case against him for armed mutiny would be dropped.
Mysterious plane crash
Prigozhin was expected to keep a low profile in the aftermath of the failed mutiny but instead made public appearances in Saint Petersburg and Africa earlier this week, claiming to make "Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even freer." On Wednesday, the Wagner Group claimed that his private plane was shot down by Russian air defenses, killing all 10 onboard. The future of the Wagner Group and the broader repercussions of his death on Russia's oligarchy remain unclear.
