Who was Prigozhin sometimes referred to as ‘Putin’s Chef’?
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Yevgeny Prigozhin, late Wagner chief
It’s believed that Prigozhin was onboard the Embraer aircraft that crashed, killing all on board on Wednesday evening. But who is the man, sometimes referred to as ‘Putin’s Chef’?
Born in Saint Petersburg on June 1, 1961, Yevgeny Prigozhin had a troubled youth spending time in Soviet prisons for petty crimes.
Released in 1990, he began his career as a caterer and restauranteur in his hometown. In the early nineties, he allegedly met a young Putin, a top aide to Saint Petersburg’s mayor.
Prigozhin grew his business and was awarded state contracts for catering, hence the nickname ‘Putin’s Chef.’
In 2014, Prigozhin founded the Wagner Private Military Company. A paramilitary organization that assisted African and Middle Eastern states during times of instability.
During Russia’s special military operation, the 62-year-old’s PMC led and was eventually victorious in the most extended fight of the conflict: the ‘Battle of Bakhmut’ in Ukraine.
In June, Prigozhin and Wagner protested against the Russian military – his fighters occupied the southern city of Rostov-on-Don for a time before U-turning on a coup attempt and returning to their barracks in the special operation zone.
On August 23, on board a private jet flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Prigozhin and nine others are believed to have perished. Their Embraer plane crashed near Tver in a ball of flames.
