Shadowy Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was once ‘Putin’s chef’

Yevgeny Prigozhin has caused chaos in Russia by launching an armed rebellion — but a photo exposes his shadowy past.

4 min read

June 25, 2023 - 5:32PM

Before Yevgeny Prigozhin’s shock mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin, the mercenary leader was known as Putin’s chef — and even spent time in jail.

He once sold hotdogs but rose to dizzying heights in Russia’s corrupt political system and has a net worth estimated to be as high as $1 billion.

Prigozhin led 25,000 troops into Russia on Saturday morning, taking over the city of Rostov and threatening to march on Moscow. The leader of the Wagner mercenary group was furious that Russia’s military leadership had bombed his fighters, killing a “huge number” of people — and he was demanding the removal of Russia’s top military brass.

On Saturday night, Putin made an emergency broadcast, accusing the Wagner group of treachery and warning that its fighters would face punishment.

But on Sunday morning, with Prigozhin’s fighters in control of Rostov and heading towards Moscow — a deal was suddenly reached which meant Prigozhin would leave Russia and neither he — nor his mercenary troops — would face charges.

Yevgeny Prigozhin is the chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner. Picture: AFP

Putin reacts to Prigozhin’s move

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday evening said that the armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenaries was a “stab in the back” and that the group’s chief had “betrayed” Russia. He vowed to punish those rebelling.

“This is a stab in a back to our country, to our nation,” Putin said in an address to the nation. “What we have been faced with is exactly betrayal. Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason,” Putin said referring to Prigozhin.

“All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people,” he added.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address, on June 24, 2023, as Wagner fighters stage rebellion. Picture: AFP

Prigozhin hits back at Putin

Prigozhin responded angrily to Putin’s speech and said on Telegram that the president was “deeply mistaken.”

“Regarding the ‘betrayal of the motherland,’ the president is deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting, all the fighters of the PMC Wagner,” Prigozhin said. “And no one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else.”

Then in a shock development, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced he had negotiated a truce with Prigozhin, ending the conflict — for now at least.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner. Picture: AFP

Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin

A Russian oligarch and head of Wagner Group, Prigozhin has been close to Putin for years — until his recent action.

He was once referred to as “Putin’s chef” because he owns businesses that served the Kremlin.

Pictures show him serving George W. Bush, lurking in the background of a dinner between G8 leaders including Tony Blair, and even bringing his benefactor Putin a dinner, The Sun reports.

'Putin's chef' has reaped the rewards of a close relationship with Putin since 2001.

Prigozhin was once called “Putin’s chef”.

In his youth he was caught stealing — and on the second occasion served nearly a decade of imprisonment. He’s also been involved in robbery and fraud.

When he was released, he became a hotdog salesman.

The Guardian reports he mixed mustard in the kitchen of his family’s apartment.

“We made $1,000 a month, which in rouble notes was a mountain; my mum could hardly count it all,” he was quoted as saying in 2011.

But he had his sights set on much loftier goals.

He managed to obtain a stake in a chain of supermarkets and later opened a restaurant known as the Old Customs House with his business partners. This restaurant soon attracted celebrity guests including St Petersburg’s mayor, Anatoly Sobchak — along with his deputy Vladimir Putin.

Later as president, Putin would often dine at the Old Customs House — or the floating restaurant New Island also owned by Prigozhin.

The ambitious Prigozhin soon began winning major government contracts, including one to provide food to schools worth billions of roubles, cementing his position to form the Wagner Group.

Fighting overseas

Before President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to Ukraine last February, 62-year-old Prigozhin dispatched mercenaries from his private fighting force to conflicts in the Middle East and Africa but always denied involvement.

That changed when the long-time Kremlin ally finally admitted last year he had founded the Wagner group and began a mass recruitment drive at Russia’s prisons for foot soldiers to fight in exchange for an amnesty.

Why did Prigozhin launch the mutiny

Prigozhin has been critical of the Russian military leadership in recent months.

While gaining public acclaim in Russia as Wagner spearheaded the capture of several key Ukrainian towns including Bakhmut, Prigozhin has also blasted what he says is systemic mismanagement and lying in the Russian defence ministry.

Recently he accused Moscow’s top brass of deceiving Russians about the course of Ukraine’s offensive and pointed to Kyiv’s progress on the battlefield.

But the spark that lit the fuse was apparently an alleged bombing of his troops.

“The evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped,” Prigozhin said on Friday, after claiming the defence ministry had launched strikes on Wagner bases.

Russia’s FSB security service responded by opening a criminal probe into calls to stage “an armed mutiny,” even though Prigozhin has assured Russians he was calling for “justice” and “not a coup”.

What is the Wagner Group

Wagner Group is a Russian paramilitary organisation that is operating in Ukraine with Russia’s military forces.