Who was Prigozhin — prisoner, businessman, Putin’s cook, military group’s leader or rebel

There has been massive media coverage of the business jet
that crashed in Tver Oblast and the fact that Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board.

Let us look back on his biography and how he became the
protagonist — maybe antagonist — of the media in just one day.

Few had heard of him before the breakout of the
Russo-Ukrainian war. However, in autumn, 2022, Prigozhin became the main
speaker of the Ukrainian front. 

Prigozhin was the founder and leader of the Wagner Private
Military Company (Wagner Group). The latter has played a crucial role in the
Ukrainian war. Members of the group were mainly former convicts. However, at
some point, something went wrong, and Prigozhin decided to rebel. 

Well before the war, Prigozhin was a successful businessman.
He started his business in prison, where he set up a group of prisoners,
engaged in manufacturing handicraft items.

Prigozhin was released from prison in 1990. In 1993, he
founded a fast food restaurant chain with his stepfather. In 1995, his
classmate made him manager of a supermarket chain. Moreover, he acquired a 15%
share in the business. In the same year, Prigozhin launched a project, which
heralded his successful career. He set up the first fine restaurant in Saint
Petersburg, Старая Таможня (the Old Customs house). The restaurant was
frequented by prominent public and political figures.

Later, Prigozhin set up such restaurants as Русский китч,
restaurant of Jewish cuisine Семь:Сорок, Блин!дональт’s, etc.

Enormous success came when he founded the New Island. In
2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with French President Jacques
Chirac there. Talks with George W. Bush in 2003 were held in the same
restaurant. According to media reports, Putin celebrated his birthday parties
there as well.

In the 2000s, Prigozhin went into the catering business and
event organization, thereby smoothing his way into Kremlin circles. His company
even catered presidential inauguration ceremonies.

In the course of time, his company started to provide
catering services to schools, first in Saint Petersburg, then in Moscow.

In recent years, his name was connected with the PMC Wagner.
However, he was firmly denying the claims. In autumn, 2022, Prigozhin admitted
that the Wagner Group was his project and justified his denials on the grounds
of “conspiracy of silence”.

On June 23, 2023, Prigozhin announced that the forces of the
Russian Defense Ministry had shelled the Wagner military positions. Then, he
announced moving forward to Moscow with his 25,000 militants to figure out what
was going on. The Russian Defense Ministry denied his statement, calling it an
act of provocation. Prigozhin’s troops captured the headquarters of the
Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don almost without resistance. Not
meeting any resistance, they approached Moscow within 24 hours. All the while,
talks were being held with Prigozhin. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
brokered the talks. On June 24, Prigozhin announced that his troops would
return to training camps, and he would leave for Belarus. 

Yesterday, Prigozhin announced that he was going to stage a
justice march. Two months after his uprising, a plane crashed, Prigozhin being
on board.