Yevgeny Prigozhin: From Putin's chef to Wagner founder

Yevgeny Prigozhin has emerged arsenic a cardinal subordinate successful Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine, successful complaint of a backstage service of mercenaries starring the Russian onslaught successful cardinal areas of the war.

No alien to Russia's prisons, helium recruited thousands of convicted criminals from jailhouse for his Wagner radical - nary substance however sedate their crimes - arsenic agelong arsenic they agreed to combat for him successful Ukraine.

Before Russia started what has go Europe's worst equipped struggle since World War Two, Prigozhin was accused of meddling successful US elections and expanding Russian power successful Africa.

How did a antheral of murky beginnings execute specified power - and a estimation for fearsome brutality?

Yevgeny Prigozhin hails from St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin's location city.

He received his archetypal transgression condemnation successful 1979, aged conscionable 18, and got a suspended two-and-a-half twelvemonth condemnation for theft. Two years later, helium was sentenced to 13 years successful jailhouse for robbery and theft, 9 of which helium served down bars.

Upon his merchandise from jail, Prigozhin acceptable up a concatenation of stalls selling blistery dogs successful St Petersburg. Business went good and wrong a fewer years, successful the lawless 1990s, Prigozhin was capable to unfastened costly restaurants successful the city.

It was determination that helium began mixing with the precocious and mighty of St Petersburg and past Russia. One of his restaurants, called New Island, was a vessel sailing up and down the Neva River. Vladimir Putin liked it truthful overmuch that - aft becoming president - helium started taking his overseas guests there. And that is astir apt however the 2 archetypal met.

"Vladimir Putin… saw that I had nary occupation serving plates to dignitaries successful person," Prigozhin said successful an interview. "We met erstwhile helium came with Japanese Prime Minister Mori."

Yoshiro Mori visited St Petersburg successful April 2000, astatine the precise opening of Vladimir Putin's rule.

Mr Putin trusted Prigozhin capable to observe his day connected New Island successful 2003.

Years later, Prigozhin's catering institution Concord was contracted to proviso nutrient to the Kremlin, earning him the nickname "Putin's chef". Firms affiliated with Prigozhin besides won lucrative catering contracts from the subject and state-run schools.

But it was aft Russia's penetration of Ukraine successful 2014 that signs began to look that Prigozhin was nary mean businessman. A shadowy backstage subject institution said to beryllium linked to him was archetypal reported to beryllium warring Ukrainian forces successful the eastbound Donbas region.

It is commonly known arsenic Wagner - aft the telephone motion utilized by 1 of its cardinal aboriginal commanders. He was reportedly fascinated by Nazi Germany, which appropriated the 19th Century composer's works for propaganda.

Ironically, "de-Nazification" of Ukraine is simply a cardinal declared nonsubjective of President Putin's full-scale penetration of Ukraine launched successful February 2022.

Apart from Ukraine, Wagner was progressive crossed Africa and beyond, invariably performing tasks that furthered the Kremlin's docket - from propping up Bashar al-Assad's authorities successful Syria to combating French power successful Mali.

Over time, the mercenary radical gained a fearsome estimation for brutality.

Wagner members person been accused of torturing a Syrian captive with a sledgehammer, beheading him and past mounting his assemblage connected occurrence successful 2017.

The pursuing year, 3 Russian journalists were killed portion investigating Wagner's beingness successful the Central African Republic.

In 2022, Wagner was again accused of sidesplitting a antheral with a sledgehammer, implicit suspicions that helium had "betrayed" the radical successful Ukraine. Prigozhin described unverified footage of the brutal execution arsenic "a dog's decease for a dog". After members of the European Parliament called for Wagner to beryllium designated arsenic a violent group, helium claimed helium had sent the politicians a blood-stained sledgehammer.

For years, Prigozhin denied having immoderate links to Wagner and adjacent sued radical who suggested that helium did. But then, successful September 2022, helium said helium had acceptable up the radical successful 2014.

The US, EU and UK person each imposed sanctions connected Wagner, but it is allowed to run successful Russia, adjacent though the instrumentality bans mercenary activities.

Another mode successful which Yevgeny Prigozhin got progressive successful satellite authorities relied connected radical with keyboards, alternatively than men with guns.

For years, helium has been accused of being down alleged "troll farms" oregon "bot factories", which utilized accounts connected societal media and websites to dispersed pro-Kremlin views. Such efforts were led by the St Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA), champion known for meddling successful the 2016 US statesmanlike election.

Former FBI manager Robert Mueller, who was appointed to analyse claims of collusion betwixt Donald Trump's run and Russia, concluded that the IRA carried retired a societal media run designed to provoke and amplify governmental and societal discord successful the US. It past evolved into an cognition to enactment Mr Trump and disparage his predetermination rival, Hillary Clinton, Mueller's study said.

The US enactment sanctions connected the IRA and Prigozhin personally implicit interference successful the 2016 statesmanlike predetermination and past attempted meddling successful the 2018 midterm elections.

Ukraine is different large people of the IRA's disinformation campaigns and, according to the UK, "cyber soldiers" with suspected links to Prigozhin person attacked countries including the UK, South Africa and India.

Just arsenic with Wagner, aft denying immoderate engagement and suing radical who suggested that helium was down troll factories and bot farms, Prigozhin claimed successful February 2023 that helium had "conceived, created and run" the IRA.

All this clip Prigozhin shunned the limelight, usually communicating with the media via statements issued by his catering company, Concord.

This changed aft Russia launched its full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022. Months into the campaign, it was intelligibly stalling, and Prigozhin's services were overmuch successful request again.

After years of denying that Wagner adjacent existed, connected 27 July 2022 Kremlin-controlled media abruptly admitted that it was warring successful eastbound Ukraine. Prigozhin besides started posting videos connected societal media - seemingly filmed successful occupied parts of Ukraine - successful which helium boasted of Wagner's exploits there. By this time, nary different backstage subject institution successful the satellite had entree to truthful overmuch kit, including combatant jets, helicopters and tanks.

But soon it became evident that Prigozhin's relations with the Russian subject were precise strained. He repeatedly criticised Russia's apical brass, claimed that the defence ministry starved Wagner of ammunition and astatine 1 constituent adjacent accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of treason.

After tens of thousands of Russian troops were killed successful Ukraine, Prigozhin was allowed to enlistee successful prisons. He personally visited galore jails to committedness convicted criminals that they would beryllium capable to spell location free, and with their convictions removed, aft six months of warring for Wagner successful Ukraine - if they survived.

In 1 video, helium is heard telling convicts: "Do you person anyone other who tin get you retired of this jail, if you've got 10 years to walk down bars? God and Allah can, but successful a woody box. I tin get you retired of present alive. But I don't ever bring you backmost alive."

UK quality estimates that astir fractional of the prisoners Wagner has deployed to Ukraine person either been wounded oregon killed.

As Prigozhin's relations with the defence ministry worsened, helium was barred from recruiting much prisoners successful aboriginal 2023.

But wherefore does the Kremlin request idiosyncratic similar Prigozhin to behaviour disinformation and subject campaigns crossed the world?

One large crushed is alleged "plausible deniability" - utilizing backstage operatives allows the Russian authorities to contradict engagement successful highly delicate operations.

And wherefore did Prigozhin extremity up successful this role? According to writer Ilya Zhegulev, who has studied Prigozhin's biography successful detail, determination are respective reasons.

"He ne'er refused to bash soiled deeds. He had thing to suffer reputationally," Zhegulev argues.

Prigozhin's past was different reason, helium adds. "Putin does not similar radical with an impeccably cleanable reputation, due to the fact that they are hard to control. From this constituent of view, Prigozhin was an perfect candidate."

In a uncommon interrogation backmost successful 2011, Prigozhin said helium had erstwhile written a publication for children wherever the main quality "helped the king prevention his kingdom" and past went connected to bash "something genuinely heroic". Prigozhin whitethorn present beryllium helping President Putin to prevention his imaginativeness of Russia, but his beingness communicative is hardly a children's fairy tale.