Soviet Union
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Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Archival Overview
Russian oligarch, mercenary warlord, and founder of the Wagner Private Military Company whose forces spearheaded brutal battles in Ukraine and Africa, before leading an armed mutiny against the Russian defense establishment in June 2023.
Biographical Record
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin was born in Leningrad (modern-day Saint Petersburg). After serving nine years in Soviet prison for robbery and fraud in the 1980s, he built a lucrative catering empire in the 1990s, earning the nickname "Putin's Chef" by hosting lavish state banquets for Vladimir Putin and foreign dignitaries.
Prigozhin founded the Internet Research Agency "troll farm" that meddled in the 2016 US presidential election and established the Wagner Group, a shadowy private mercenary force deployed in Syria, Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic. In 2022, Wagner recruited tens of thousands of Russian prisoners to lead the attritional assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. In June 2023, amid escalating public feuds with military commanders Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin launched an armed insurrection, capturing Rostov-on-Don and marching Wagner columns toward Moscow. Exactly two months after halting the revolt, Prigozhin and his top lieutenants were killed when their Embraer private jet exploded mid-air over Tver Oblast.
Key Life Milestones
Founding of the Wagner Group
Established the Wagner Private Military Company, deploying mercenaries across the Donbas, Syria, and African nations.
Wagner Group Armed Rebellion
Led an armed insurrection against Russia's military command, capturing Rostov-on-Don before halting miles short of Moscow.
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialSaint Petersburg, Russia