Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin was born on 1 June 1961 in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia). He was raised in a family with a military background, as his grandfather served in the Red Army during World War II. Prigozhin spent part of his childhood in Zhovti Vody, Ukraine, where he worked in an open-pit uranium mine.

Prigozhin graduated from Leningrad Sports Boarding School No. 62 in 1977, aspiring to be a professional skier. However, an injury led him to abandon this career and work as a fitness trainer.

In 1979, Prigozhin was convicted of theft and received a suspended sentence. His criminal activities escalated, leading to a twelve-year sentence in a high-security penal colony for robbery and fraud. He served nine years before being released in 1990, after which he attempted to pursue a degree in pharmaceuticals but did not complete his studies.

After his release, Prigozhin entered the food industry, initially selling hot dogs and later establishing a successful restaurant business. His connections with Russian political leaders, including Vladimir Putin, grew during this time, leading to lucrative government contracts for his catering businesses.

By 2012, Prigozhin's companies were awarded significant contracts, including a $1.2 billion deal to supply meals to the Russian military, which would later fund the Wagner Group.

The Wagner Group, founded by Prigozhin in 2014, played a crucial role in supporting Russian separatist forces during the Donbas War and later in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The group was utilized to further Russian interests while providing the Kremlin with plausible deniability.

Prigozhin publicly acknowledged his role in the Wagner Group, claiming it was established to protect Russian interests in Ukraine, particularly in response to the perceived genocide of the Russian population in the Donbas region.

Throughout the conflict in Ukraine, Prigozhin criticized the Russian Defense Ministry for its handling of the war and the reasons given for the invasion. His discontent culminated in a brief rebellion against Russian military leadership in June 2023, during which Wagner forces captured Rostov-on-Don and advanced toward Moscow.

The rebellion was called off the following day, and Prigozhin relocated to Belarus after charges against him were dropped.

On 23 August 2023, Prigozhin died in a plane crash in Tver Oblast, north of Moscow, two months after his rebellion. Speculations regarding the cause of the crash suggest possible sabotage. His death marked the end of a controversial figure whose actions had significant implications for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.