Yevgeny Prigozhin was born on June 1, 1961 in Leningrad, which we know today as St. Petersburg, Russia. After the untimely loss of his father, Prigozhin was raised by his mother, who worked as a nurse. His childhood was spent in modest circumstances, which led him to abandon his education at age 16 to help support the family.
The Entrepreneurial Ascent
In 1988, Prigozhin established his first restaurant in St. Petersburg, which achieved considerable success. As a result of this, he emerged as a successful entrepreneur in the gastronomic industry. In 1995, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak, chose him to oversee important events in the city.
From Culinary Art to the Political Stage
During the 1990s, Prigozhin developed a relationship with Vladimir Putin, who at the time was deputy mayor of St. Petersburg and would later become president of Russia. Prigozhin orchestrated various events and dinners for Putin, forging a close friendship. Beginning in 2000, with Putin in power, Prigozhin obtained lucrative contracts with the Russian government, broadening his business horizons.
Prigozhin’s International Activities
Apart from his participation in the Wagner Group, founded in 2014 as a private paramilitary entity involved in several international conflicts, Prigozhin is linked to other activities abroad. In 2016, he faced accusations of interference in the U.S. presidential election, while in 2020 the European Union sanctioned him for his role in spreading misleading information related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fall of Prigozhin
In June 2023, Russian authorities detained Prigozhin on treason charges, accusing him of plotting a coup attempt against Putin’s government.
On August 23, 2023, Prigozhin passed away in a tragic plane crash. According to Russian authorities, the plane he was traveling on crashed under circumstances yet to be determined.
The figure of Yevgeny Prigozhin personified controversy in contemporary Russian politics. His transformation from a humble position as a chef to an oligarch and leader of a paramilitary entity reflects the influence and power wielded by Putin in Russia over recent decades.
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