Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder and extravagant leader of Russia’s private military organisation Wagner. His organisation is currently engaged in an apparent insurgency, having taken control of military facilities in two cities and threatening to march on Moscow.
Prigozhin was once a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin leader now threatens those involved in “an armed rebellion.”
Prigozhin and his fighters, who had previously preferred to operate in the shadows, were thrust into the spotlight following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, with Wagner mercenaries playing a key role in multiple battles.
Founder of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin Dies in Plane Crash — Russian News Agency
Putin and Prigozhin have similar backgrounds, with the Wagner chief growing up in the tougher neighbourhoods of St. Petersburg, the president’s hometown.
The men have been friends since the 1990s. Prigozhin rose to prominence as a wealthy oligarch by winning lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, earning him the nickname “Putin’s chef.”
His apparent transformation into a brutal warlord occurred following the 2014 Russian-backed separatist movement in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas.
Wagner was founded by Prigozhin as a shadowy mercenary outfit that fought in Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes all over the world.
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Wagner mercenaries have been tracked by CNN in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Ukraine, and Syria. They have a gruesome reputation and have been linked to numerous human rights violations over the years.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the group was thrust into the spotlight. Wagner group played a significant role in the capture of the Ukrainian towns of Soledar and Bakhmut.
As the regular Russian army campaign stalled and disorganised, Wagner fighters appeared to be the only ones capable of delivering tangible progress for the Russian side.
Putin is caught in a bind..
Wagner’s brutal and often lawless tactics are thought to have resulted in a high number of casualties, as new recruits are sent into battle with little formal training – a process described by retired United States Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling as “like feeding meat to a meat grinder.”
In contrast to the Kremlin’s military establishment, Prigozhin has frequently cast himself as competent and ruthless on social media.
Prigozhin has created a quandary for Putin in recent months by becoming an outspoken critic of Russia’s military leaders.
In one particularly bleak video from early May, Prigozhin stood next to a heap of dead Wagner fighters and targeted Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian Army Chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
“The blood is still fresh,” he says, pointing to the bodies in the background. “They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit around like fat cats in your luxury offices.”
After complaining for more than a month about insufficient Kremlin support in the gruelling battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut, he announced in May that his troops would withdraw.
After his increasingly outrageous outbursts sparked speculation that he was going too far, Prigozhin has launched an all-out rebellion against the Kremlin.
The Wagner mutiny started on Friday, when Prigozhin launched a new tirade against the Russian military and marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
In the face of a sudden and startling escalation of internal tensions that had been simmering for months, Putin called Wagner’s actions “treason.”
“It is a stab in the back of our country and our people,” the president said in a Saturday speech to the nation.
On Telegram, Prigozhin responded, saying Putin was “deeply mistaken.”
“We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and we are fighting,” the Wagner chief said over the radio.
Credit: CNN
