WORLD NEWS
Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man Putin wanted to arrest?
A Russian oligarch and former confidant of Vladimir Putin staged a coup against the Russian leader, and he is now believed to be dead in suspicious circumstances.
Several weeks ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused former confident, oligarch, and head of the Wagner military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, of attempting a coup d’etat against him. Military vehicles were circulating in Moscow as Russian state media reported that a private faction of the country’s military was in open rebellion.
The Wagner Group is a private military organization that has been operating on behalf of the Russian government in Ukraine since 2014. Prigozhin, the group’s leader, had come under scrutiny after pushing back against the Russian military establishment, including President Putin, saying that he was on a “march for justice.” This “march” had been interpreted by the Russian president as “a stab in the back,” and he went looking to have Prigozhin arrested. On Wednesday, news broke that he was aboard a small private plane that crashed in Russia.
The final straw for Prigozhin
This break with the Russian military did not happen overnight, with CNN reporting that the tensions between the groups had been building for months. Prigozhin had been on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine for many years and had become one of the military’s largest internal critics, blaming high-level generals for the unnecessary deaths of many of his soldiers.
A rumor had begun to circulate that the Russian military had carried out attacks on a Wagner group camp, which the Ministry of Defense denied by interrupting the planned television programming on Friday night. These rumors were based on accusations made by Prigozhin, who claimed that a “huge number” of his fighters were killed during the alleged attacks and that he was willing to take on the Russian military to avenge them.
Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?
Before becoming the head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin owned various restaurants and thus became known as Putin’s Chef.
Prigozhin’s background is humble, but he quickly entered the business world after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He rose to a position of power and prestige in a short time. In the early 1990s, he sold hotdogs on the streets of Saint Petersburg. By the end of the decade, he became the owner of the first supermarket chain in his hometown. In the late 1990s, he ventured into the casino business and became the CEO of Spectrum CJSC, the first casino in Saint Petersburg. Some newspapers speculate that Vladimir Putin, who was monitoring the gambling sector during this period, may have met Prigozhin at this time.
During a period of economic upheaval in Russia, Prigozhin persevered in expanding his business operations, venturing into the restaurant industry. In 1997, he opened New Island, a renowned floating restaurant that attracted high-profile guests such as French President Jacques Chirac and US President George W. Bush. As his relationship with Putin grew, Prigozhin opted to leave the business and instead build out an industry where he would be able to receive government contracts. This move to shift businesses towards the government is what converted into one of the country’s top oligarchs.
In addition to catering contracts, Prigozhin expanded his business to secure bigger contracts with the Russian military. However, as the conflict in Ukraine intensified in 2022, he became more critical of the military and even openly criticized Putin for his leadership shortcomings. Presently, the situation in Russia is highly unpredictable as the military tries to suppress any potential rebellions. The latest news about Prigozhin will only add to this.