Yevgeny Prigozhin Vladimir Putin Chef : Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner Group in Russia, has rebelled against his own President Vladimir Putin. Today Yevgeny Prigozhin was once the most trusted confidant of the Russian President and at one time "Putin’s chef" was nicknamed as But their relationship has now deteriorated to the extent that they spend most of their time targeting each other.
Putin was heavily criticized when the Ukrainian army launched a surprise counterattack against Russia in September last year. Yevgeny Prigozhin then came to the rescue with thousands of Wagner mercenaries and this work made him a war hero in his country. Wagner’s troops played an important role in capturing the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. So find out who Yevgeny Prigozhin really is and how a hot dog stall keeper became the head of a mercenary army.
Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?
Yevgeny Prigogine, who "Putin’s cook" became famous as He was born in 1961 in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). At just 20 years old, Yevgeny became wanted in several cases and was accused of assault, robbery and fraud. He was later sentenced to 13 years after being convicted by the court, although he was released in 9 years.
The journey started from a hotdog stall
After his release from prison, Prigozhin opened a stall selling hot dogs in St. Petersburg. The business became so successful that he opened an expensive restaurant in the city in the 90s. Yevgeny’s restaurant became so popular that people started waiting in line outside it. As the popularity grew, Russian President Putin himself started taking foreign guests to this restaurant.
This was the period when Yevgeny became close to Putin. After that, Yevgeny was given a government contract. Prigozhin’s role has always been questionable and he has long denied any political role. But his influence reached the dinner table.
Building Putin’s Shadow Army
The low-profile Prigozhin was considered Putin’s right-hand man abroad. Meanwhile, Yevgeny earned a lot of money. Together with the Russian army, Yevgeny led a private army. Putin also used it behind the scenes. Whether it’s through the image of creating distrust in US elections or as ruthless gangs of mercenaries waging war in Africa and the Middle East. Prigozhin came out publicly as Wagner’s head last year. These mercenary fighters are known as Putin’s shadow army and have helped increase Russia’s influence in Africa.
Since 2017, Yevgeny’s Wagner group has deployed troops for military interventions in Mali, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Libya and Mozambique. Meanwhile, Yevgeny’s Wagner group has pursued commercial and political interests across the continent, buying up mines and land leases in resource-rich countries. According to a Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime report released last year, Wagner is now the most influential Russian group in Africa.
Loyalist turned traitor?
Yevgeni to "Meatgrinder" Also called He should have been called ‘Putin’s butcher’, he said earlier this year. But as Wagner began to receive credit for his successes, Yevgeny began to criticize the Russian military and demand more recognition for their contributions to the war effort. However, Putin is a man who does not like to share success. Yet he and Yevgeny have so far avoided direct attacks against each other. Putin has backed the move to bring the Wagner group under the control of the Russian military.
Prygozhin is refusing to follow orders. He waged a verbal war against the country’s top officials and even ordered his men to kidnap a Russian official. Now the question is, why is this loyal associate of Putin doing this? Some experts believe that Yevgeny wants to become a parallel force whose ambitions may be to oust his old friend from power.
