Yevgeny Prigozhin’s name continues to make waves in Russia and abroad. The man for whom the FBI has put a monetary reward on his head and who in the USA is trying to hunt him down for his blatant interference in the presidential elections, began his career as a restaurateur but over time managed to win Putin’s trust and become one of his close associates who has no part in the Russian war against Ukraine
Recently, various reports have been heard around the world about the deterioration of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s health. Various experts and those close to the Kremlin estimate that the man who started the war with Ukraine does not have much time left, and among the press and the people the question “Who succeeded Putin?” began to arise. One of the potential candidates is a former sausage seller, who managed to reach President Putin and become his confidant.
Yevgeny Prigozhin was born in 1961 in St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia. When he was thirty years old, Prigozhin was sent to prison for robbery, fraud and other dubious occupations he was engaged in at the time. After nine years of imprisonment Prigozhin was released, following the fall of communism. After his release, he started running a sausage stand on the streets of St. Petersburg, and after sticking to the profession, he decided to establish a chain of restaurants together with his father and a friend.
This chain of restaurants, managed by Prigozhin, was a resounding success, and soon glittering luxury restaurants were established throughout St. Petersburg. At the same time as the chain of restaurants he founded, Prigozhin became involved in business and crime in his city, and was associated with a number of key people in it.
In 2001, Prigozhin hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Jacques Chirac in his restaurant, as part of his visit to Russia. Later, Prigozhin said: “Putin saw how I built a business from a kiosk. He saw that I didn’t mind serving my distinguished guests, because they are my guests.” The Russian dictator was indeed very impressed by Prigozhin, and has since been hosted by him several times. But more importantly: Putin maintained a close personal relationship with Prigozhin, and in fact made him his confidant and confidant with whom he could consult and talk whenever he wanted.
Prigozhin knew how to make good use of his connections with the Russian government for his personal well-being. His restaurant company received countless concessions directly from Putin, and earned hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the government. Over time, Prigozhin’s personal fortune grew, and according to various estimates, today it is more than a billion rubles. Prigozhin leads an extremely flamboyant lifestyle and does not spare a life of beauty and splendor.
As part of his great fortune, his connections with the Russian government and his corrupt activities, Prigozhin managed and financed various spy companies that were accused of influencing the US election in 2016. According to the Americans, Prigozhin and his people tried to use various means to tilt the election in favor of President Trump, and later Prigozhin was further indicted for this.
The methods Prigozhin used to influence American public opinion were different, varied and sophisticated. Prigozhin spread non-stop fake news across social networks, employed various psychological means, and sophisticated digital warfare like no other that has since been tested by the FBI and other investigators. In response to the indictment filed against him in the US, Prigozhin said: “The Americans are very impressive people. They see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. I’m not mad at all that I’m on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him.”
In addition to his activities for biasing the elections in the USA, an activity he admitted to a few months ago, Prigozhin was suspected of sending messengers around the world to eliminate various personalities who were marked by him.
Prigozhin even finances and takes an active and important part in “Force Wagner” – a private Russian military organization that receives from Russia certain projects on which it is required to focus. As part of the Russia-Ukraine war, there are about 5,000 “mercenaries” from Wagner’s force.
Recently there are many conflicts between President Putin according to Prigozhin. Prigozhin often accuses the Russian army of sloppy and incorrect conduct, and usually promotes and presents Wagner’s force as the alternative army. On the other hand, the Russian army sees the Wagner force as nothing more than cannon fodder and greatly underestimates its strength and quality.
Last week, Prigozhin announced that his men had captured the city of Solder, after the Russian Ministry of Defense retracted the announcement that his men were the ones who captured the city. This is one of Russia’s most notable achievements since July, and it clearly highlights the power of Putin’s mercenaries, and especially the power of one of their leaders – Yevgeny Prigozhin.