the mercenary who tried to rise up against the Kremlin

What do a thief from St. Petersburg, a private chef for Russian elites, and a commander-in-chief of the world’s largest and bloodiest paramilitary group have in common? Nothing unless it is the same person.

Yevgeny Prigozhin was born in Saint Petersburg on June 1, 1961. His youth was spent in Soviet prisons accused of crimes such as theft and fraud, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. Coming out of it in 1990, he saw the Soviet Union fall as he saw his economic empire rise.

After having a hot dog business, he went into the restaurant and catering business. Prigozhin was a nimble small businessman with no ties to power, but with a hunger for greatness. In 1995 Prigozhin already owned a modest chain of supermarkets and another of restaurants.

It was a saucer that turned his luck around as it brought him closer to Vladimir Putin, then adviser to the mayor of St. Petersburg. Several historians refer to the fact that friendship with Putin began to be woven in one of his restaurants, the New Island, a ship that floated down the Neva River. This quickly became one of Putin’s favorite places.

Once in power, Putin even used the restaurant to impress some honored guests, such as in 2001, when he took French President Jacques Chirac or Japan’s then Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to dinner, who tasted dishes at this fancy restaurant.

In 2003, Prigozhin was in charge of preparing Putin’s birthday on New Island, according to various local reports at the time. “Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business from a kiosk, he saw that I didn’t mind serving distinguished guests because they were my guests,” Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011.

Before long, Prigozhin rose rapidly in Moscow state circles, winning million-dollar government contracts with his Concord catering company for schools and the military. Over time, he continued to personally serve Putin’s dishes at ceremonies and special events.

In 2010, Putin himself helped open the Prigozhin factory, built with huge loans from a Russian state bank. In 2012, according to various Russian media reports, his income from state contracts for the provision of school menus exceeded 10.5 billion rubles, which was equivalent to just over $200 million.

This earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef”, something he flaunted in private circles to keep a low profile, although more recently he joked about the nickname and suggested that it would be appropriate to call it “Putin’s butcher”.

In 2017, Alexei Navalny, a well-known opponent and prominent anti-corruption activist, accused companies linked to Prigozhin for alleged violations of antitrust laws. Navalny revealed that the tenders of the companies of “Putin’s chef” were around 387 million dollars, destined for the award of contracts by the Ministry of Defense.

Wagner and IRA denial

The former cook is also credited with founding and financing the Internet Research Agency, IRA, designated by Washington as a “troll farm” that tried to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election.

In 2014, Prigozhin helped found Wagner, a private military company whose soldiers have been sent to fight to help Moscow’s allies in nations including Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic. Although he has been subject to US sanctions and has been accused of committing atrocities, Prigozhin has always denied his link to the mercenary group.

The “Wagner” was chosen by Dmitry Outkine, another of its founders, as a tribute to the composer Richard Wagner, who was a favorite of Adolf Hitler. The name has generated controversy due to the historical and political connotations associated with the composer and his relationship with Nazism.

Among the group’s services is security for leaders, receiving remuneration in exchange, which according to Western intelligence reports, often includes interests in natural resources such as gold.

According to US officials, Russia is even taking advantage of the Wagner Group’s activities on African soil to finance the war in Ukraine.

For years, Prigozhin denied being linked to the group and even sued those who revealed the connection between him and the mercenaries, but that changed in 2022.

In July of that year, the official Russian media began to admit Prigozhin’s participation in the fighting in eastern Ukraine, replicating some messages where the now assumed leader of the mercenary group was seen reporting progress in battle.

The former cook-turned-military leader also took advantage of his sudden fame to complain about the little support his men received from the Russian Defense Ministry and the failed strategy that, according to him, stalled Russian victories.

He was the only one close to Putin’s circle who dared to criticize the military high command, although he never disowned Putin or pointed him out for wrongdoing. His relations with the Ministry of Defense worsened and in early 2023 he was prohibited from recruiting any more prisoners for his operations, despite the fact that he had offices in Moscow for these activities.

Prigozhin accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of treason.

The mercenary’s brief rebellion

In June 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin reported an attack by Russian forces on one of Wagner’s camps and led a mutiny that had serious repercussions. Fighters of the Wagner Group, under the command of Prigozhin, forgot the target in the Ukraine and seized control of the southern city of Rostov.

They began an advance towards Moscow that provoked small clashes with the Russian forces and shot down several military helicopters, causing the death of the pilots. President Vladimir Putin branded the acts as treason and warned of severe consequences, without naming Prigozhin.

The rebellion attempt was canceled thanks to the mediation of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, who offered asylum and protection to Prigozhin and his fighters in exchange for not causing “bloodshed” in Russia, according to Lukashenko himself days later.

Russia opened criminal proceedings against Prigozhin whose follow-up was suspended after the negotiation. They accused him of inciting an armed rebellion, and raided his home in St. Petersburg, where they found weapons, gold, fake passports, cash, and even appearance-changing items.

It was later revealed that days after the rebellion, Putin met with Prigozhin and Wagner’s commanders to clarify the situation. After moving to Belarus to train with that country’s army, the Wagner leader made a couple of public appearances.

An aeronautical accident decapitates Wagner

His last appearance was two days ago, on August 21, through a video in an unknown location presumably in Africa. “The Wagner group carries out reconnaissance and search activities. It makes Russia even bigger on all continents and Africa even freer. Justice and happiness for the African peoples”, he said.

This August 23 it was learned that Prigozhin was aboard a plane that crashed north of Moscow in which 10 passengers died, including Wagner’s number two, Dmitry Outkine, according to Russian authorities.

“Not much happens in Russia and Putin is not behind it, but I don’t know enough to know the answer,” US President Joe Biden reacted.

Biden and the director of the CIA, Williams Burns, had spoken about it last month and pointed out the dangers that Prigozhin was running after his actions, although somewhat jokingly. “If I were him, I’d be careful what I eat. I’d keep an eye on my menu,” Biden said in July.

In the accident on Wednesday, the young thief, the elite chef and the military leader who tried to revolt against the Kremlin were on board.

With Reuters and AP