The public first heard about Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2016, when Alexei Navalny conducted an investigation. The businessman was nicknamed “Putin’s cook” for organizing Putin’s events, catering for the St. Petersburg Economic Forum guests, and supplying food to Moscow schools.
One of Prigozhin's achievements is the establishment of a “troll factory” – an agency that spreads misinformation and discredits the opposition on the Internet. In 2022, the US offered a $10 million reward for information about the involvement of “Putin’s Chef” and his companies in the 2017 American elections. Prigogine denies this.
Picture: Sofya Lipatkina / Skat media
The businessman's public image has changed over time – he initially tried to erase his criminal record from the internet, but now openly discusses it. He served 9 years on charges of theft, fraud, robbery, and involving minors in criminal activities.
Prigozhin's most significant project is the Wagner PMC, established in 2014. The group has been involved in conflicts in various countries, and since 2014, in Ukraine. The group's name is derived from the pseudonym of their leader, former GRU lieutenant colonel Dmitry Utkin, who openly expresses sympathy for fascism and is referred to as “Wagner” after his favorite Nazi composer. Many of the group members also have associations with Nazism, including tattoos with Nazi symbols.
Photo: Alexander Zemlyanichenko / AR
The mercenaries of the “Wagner” PMC are notorious for their extreme brutality. They have been accused of raping women and killing civilians in the Central African Republic. In 2018, they also killed three Russian journalists in Africa.
Officially, the activities of the Wagner PMC were not linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense, but Russia has touted any military achievements of the mercenaries as successes of the Russian Armed Forces. This suggests ongoing communication and utilization of the group by Russian high-ranking officials for their own purposes.
Until 2022, Prigozhin denied any involvement with the Wagner PMC and insulted journalists. He also filed defamation lawsuits, winning in Russian courts but losing in foreign ones. However, he admitted to creating the Wagner PMC and the participation of Russian mercenaries in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014 earlier this year.
Photos from social networks
It was solely thanks to their courage and courage that the liberation of the Luhansk airport and many other territories became possible, and the fate of the LPR and the DPR changed radically.
It is worth noting that for 8 years Russia denied its direct involvement in the conflict in the Donbass, but as we now understand, the Russian leadership has been effectively collaborating with the Wagner PMC all along. It's also important to mention Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code:
Prigozhin was not arrested for a whole month, and no criminal case was opened, which is not surprising. He was given three stars – the hero of Russia, the hero of the LPR, and the hero of the DPR. He appeared before journalists as the 'Putin’s cook' during a trip to a penal colony to recruit prisoners for the war, claiming to be a 'representative' of PMC 'Wagner'. He said mercenaries are recruited from at least 22 years old, and promised to check their physical fitness.
Recruitment, training, financing or other material support of a mercenary, as well as his use in an armed conflict or hostilities, is punishable by imprisonment for a term of twelve to eighteen years.
In the same video, Prigozhin said that the first prisoners he sent to war had already taken the Uglegorsk thermal power plant on June 1, and all of them were imprisoned under strict regimes for serious offenses. He promised to pardon all prisoners six months after participating in the war, even though Russian law only allows a presidential pardon after lengthy procedures. He also threatened to shoot 'refuseniks', despite the absence of the death penalty in Russia, especially extrajudicially.
Video: YouTube channel Meduza
Those who arrive and on the first day say: “I got somewhere wrong,” we make a mark “deserter” and after that execution follows. <…> Do you have anyone who can pull you out of the zone from here with ten years? What do you think? There are two who pull out. This is Allah and God – in a wooden box. And I’m taking you alive. But I don’t always return alive.
Prigozhin has become more public since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He has started giving comments to journalists about the success of his mercenaries in Ukraine and criticized the Russian leadership for failures at the front. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and British Intelligence note that Kadyrov and Prigozhin have recently been critical of the authorities. Both are trying to boost the success of their troops in the Donetsk region to maintain their popularity. ISW and British Intelligence report that reports of a 'split' in the Kremlin are gaining momentum in the Russian media.
A similar opinion was expressed by publicist Alexander Nevzorov:
Kadyrov and Prigozhin are likely to be perceived as informal leaders “pro-war» bloc, whose criticism is based on arguments about greater commitment to the state and readiness for escalation. Both probably achieved some prestige based on the notable participation of both Chechen and “Wagnerian» combat units in the field.
British Intelligence
Videos recorded by Sergey Surkov have drawn the attention of journalists. In the videos, he shows and tells that mobilized men are living in poor conditions, sent to war unprepared, purchase their own food, and go on strike. Journalist Mark Krutov noticed that one of the mobilized men had a symbol associated with Prigozhin and his Wagner PMC on his uniform, and all men in the video were wearing balaclavas. In contrast, other videos show mobilized men without covering their faces, while mercenaries in their VK group only publish photos with obscured faces or in balaclavas. Journalist Dmitry Kolezev commented on the scandal that arose on the Internet due to this story.
The end of the Russian-Ukrainian war will not mean the end of the war as such. The war will start in Russia. War for power.
Photo: Vedomosti
In this regard, a version was born in the Telegram channels that all this was some kind of provocation by Prigozhin against Shoigu. But would we be surprised if this turns out to be true?
But Prigozhin denies his involvement in the information campaign to destabilize the army and society.
But Prigozhin denies his involvement in this information campaign to destabilize the situation in the army and in society:
These theses are nothing but the work of the Ukrainian special services to create a conflict. To make it clear to all talkers, the statements of Prigozhin and Kadyrov are aimed at raising the fighting and patriotic spirit of the fighters, who are now having a hard time, who are on the front line and protect all of you.
Press service of Prigozhin
If you look at the biography of a businessman, the version that he may be trying to carry out a “palace coup” in this way does not seem unusual. For several years, the businessman denied what he calmly admitted and led campaigns on the Internet aimed at discrediting the opposition.
