Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin was a Russian mercenary leader and oligarch. He led the Wagner Group, a private military company, and was a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin until launching a rebellion in June 2023. Prigozhin was sometimes referred to as "Putin's chef" because he owned restaurants and catering businesses that provided services to the Kremlin. Once a convict in the Soviet Union, Prigozhin controlled a network of influential companies whose operations, according to a 2020 investigation, were "tightly integrated with Russia's Defence Ministry and its intelligence arm, the GRU".

Some of the key events about Yevgeny Prigozhin

1979
Completed training as a ski instructor and cross-country skiing trainer
1981
Graduated from a chemical-pharmaceutical school in Leningrad
1981
Convicted of robbery and fraud, sentenced to 12 years in prison
1988
Convicted of involvement in prostitution, received a suspended sentence
1990
Opened a hot dog stand in St. Petersburg, which became successful
1995
Established a chain of convenience stores in St. Petersburg
1997
Co-founded Concord Catering, which became a major catering company in Russia
2009
Opened a luxury restaurant called New Island on a boat in St. Petersburg
2010
Secured a large contract to provide food services for Moscow schools
2012
Won a contract worth $1.2 billion to feed the Russian army
2014
Founded the Internet Research Agency, which became a significant online influence operation
2014
Sanctioned by the United States for involvement in the Russian military intervention in Ukraine
2016
Accused of funding and organizing the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm engaged in online influence operations
2018
Indicted by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller for alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election
2019
Sanctioned by the European Union for supporting Russian military operations in Libya
2020
Placed on the FBI's Most Wanted list for alleged election interference
2022
Publicly acknowledged founding the Wagner Group, a private military company
2022
Admitted to interfering in U.S. elections and pledged to continue doing so
2023
Led a short-lived armed rebellion against Russian military leadership
2023
Presumed dead in a plane crash, amid speculation of foul play

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.