- Prigozhin has also spent 13 years in prison
- Wagner Group announces coup against Putin
- The Russian army also placed heavy barricades on the road
A war has been going on between Russia and Ukraine for the past one year. Despite the passage of so much time, this war does not stop. Both countries have suffered economic and human losses during the Russia-Ukraine war. At the same time, during the ongoing war between these two countries, the Wagner faction is also being vigorously debated.
Let it be known that in the middle of the ongoing war in Russia, they have announced a coup against President Vladimir Putin. Fighters of the Wagner group are moving towards Moscow in large numbers. To stop them, the Russian army has also placed heavy barricades on the road. There are also reports of heavy fighting between the Russian army and the Wagner group in the Russian city of Rostov.
Once Putin’s personal army
The Wagner Group was once known as Putin’s personal army. Fighters from this group have also fought a war in Ukraine alongside the Russian army. At the same time, Yevgeny Prigozhin has also appeared to criticize Russian soldiers several times in the past. This is the first time Prigozhin has directly threatened to remove Putin by name. Security has also been stepped up at the Kremlin and the Duma, the Russian parliament, after Wagner Group fighters marched towards Moscow.
We will destroy everything that stands in our way – Prigozhin
It has always been assumed that there is no one in Russia to challenge Vladimir Putin. At such times, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s threat is being taken very seriously. Yevgeny Prigozhin has blamed the Kremlin for the missile attack on the Wagner training camp in the city of Bakhmut, and Prigozhin has called for Russia to be punished for the attack.
According to the information, the Wagner Group has suffered a lot in the missile attack on the Wagner training camp. Prigozhin has announced that we are going to Moscow, whoever gets in the way will be responsible for it. Yevgeny said in a video message that those who destroyed people today, who took the lives of ten thousand Russian soldiers, will be punished. Anyone who tries to resist, we will treat them as a threat and eliminate them immediately, including all checkpoints that stand in our way.
Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin who threatened Putin?
Yevgeny Prigozhin is even younger than Putin. Prigozhin was born in Leningrad in 1961, about nine years after Vladimir Putin. The city is now known as St. Petersburg. Prigozhin’s father died when he was young.
Prigozhin himself has said that his mother worked in a hospital. Prigozhin joined the Sports Academy after primary education. Meanwhile he spent hours cross-country skiing every day. However, he could not make it as a professional athlete. After finishing school, Yevgeny Prigozhin joined a gang of petty criminals.
Prigozhin has also spent 13 years in prison
Yevgeny Prigozhin began working for criminals. Prigozhin also robbed several houses. After all these crimes, in 1981, a Russian court sentenced Yevgeny Prigozhin to 13 years in prison for robbery. After this, Yevgeny Prigozhin remained in prison for almost a decade.
During the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990, Yevgeny Prigozhin was released from prison in 1990. Prigozhin then returned to St. Petersburg. At that time, large-scale changes were taking place in Russia.
Prigozhin bought a stake in a supermarket
Yevgeny Prigozhin bought a stake in a supermarket chain. In 1995, Prigozzi decided he would open a restaurant. For this, Prigozhin met Tony Greer, the owner of a British hotel chain. Prigozhin opened first a wine shop, then his new restaurant, the Old Customs House, on Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg. Initially the Old Customs House used stripers to attract customers. But as soon as his restaurant’s food started getting rave reviews, he fired the tippers.
The restaurant was frequented by big Russian businessmen, bureaucrats, the mayor of St. Petersburg and his deputy mayor at the time, Vladimir Putin, along with their friends.
Met Vladimir Putin in the restaurant itself
Rostropovich organized a grand concert in London in 2002 during his 75th birthday. Prigozhin and his wife were also invited. At that time, Putin had already become the President of Russia.
During the early years of his rule, Putin often liked to meet foreign dignitaries in his hometown of St. Petersburg, and he sometimes took them to the Old Customs House or New Island. Meanwhile, the friendship between Putin and Prigozhin continued to grow. Putin awarded contracts issued for government programs in Russia to Yevgeny Prigozhin. After this, in 2012, it also won several large contracts for feeding schools in Moscow.
Prigozhin has also been Putin’s chef
Yevgeny Prigozhin and Putin are also old friends. Both were born in Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg. During the last years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin spent most of his time in prison. After being released from prison, Yevgeny also opened a restaurant. It had a hot dog stand and then a fancy restaurant, which even Putin was very interested in. In his first term, the Russian leader took then French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of these restaurants.
Prigozhin said in an interview published in 2011 that Vladimir Putin saw how I made a business out of the kiosk, he saw that I never minded serving guests because they were my guests.
Prigozhin’s business expanded into catering and providing school meals. In 2010, Putin also helped Prigozhin open a factory that was built with a loan from the State Bank. In Moscow alone, Prigozhin’s company Concord earned millions of dollars in contracts to supply food to public schools. Prigozhin also catered for Kremlin events for many years, earning Prigozhin the nickname “Putin’s Chef”, and provided catering and utility services to the Russian military.
In 2017, opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhin’s companies of violating antitrust laws by bidding for nearly $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts.
What is a military alliance?
Yevgeny Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-linked mercenary force tasked with playing a central role in Putin’s projection of Russian influence into trouble spots around the world. The United States, the European Union, the United Nations and others say mercenaries are particularly involved in conflicts in African countries. Wagner fighters allegedly provide protection to national leaders or fighters in exchange for lucrative payments, often consisting of gold or other natural resources.
Wagner Group troops have also captured the city of Bakhmut. This is the city where the bloodiest conflict and the longest war took place between the two countries. The US estimates that half of the 20,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His mercenaries consisted of prisoners recruited from Russian prisons.
This group has also been linked to Hitler
According to media reports, Wagner Group was founded by Dmitry Utkin. Dimitri once worked for Russia’s intelligence agency. Dimitri considers Adolf Hitler as his idol, which is why the group also had a relationship with Hitler. Hitler was very fond of music composer Richard Wagner. This was the reason why the group was named Wagner.
Prigozhin runs after money
After the founding of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s appetite for power continued to grow. A former official said he was like a sniffer, always looking for money. In 2014, negotiations began between Prigozhin’s Concord group and the Russian Ministry of Defense to provide food for the military. However, this project could not materialize. But, by 2015 his companies had won major contracts worth more than 92 billion rubles (£1 billion) to feed the military.
