Civil War In Russia: Prigozhin, The Man Heading For Moscow

The owner of private military contractor Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has marched his mercenary forces into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, in what many have called a declaration of civil war on the Russian state.

After the Kremlin accused him of “armed rebellion,” Prigozhin promised to take all necessary means to destabilize Russia’s military leadership.

Here’s what we know about the Wagner Group’s leader:

Yevgeny Prigozhin, born in Russia in 1961, is a high-profile, aggressive mercenary leader who has known Russian President Vladimir Putin since the 1990s. During the Ukraine war, he saw his political profile rise in Russia.

Mr Prigozhin and Mr Putin both hail from St. Petersburg (formerly known as Leningrad), according to Politico. When he was 18 years old, he was convicted of a crime for the first time and received a two-and-a-half-year term with a suspended sentence. He was given a 13-year prison term for robbery and theft two years later, of which he served nine.

After being released from prison, Mr Prigozhin opened a network of hot dog stands. He then had the opportunity to open pricey eateries in St. Petersburg in a short period of time. He started mingling with the powerful people of St. Petersburg and then Russia.

According to the BBC, he utilized that link to start a catering firm and win large Russian government contracts, earning him the moniker “Putin’s chef.” He eventually expanded into other areas, including media and the infamous internet “troll factory” that led to his prosecution in the United States for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

In January of this year, the 62-year-old admitted to creating, commanding, and financing the clandestine private mercenary firm Wagner, which has worked alongside the Russian army during the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Notably, Western countries and UN experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights violations across Africa, particularly in the Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali.

Although the whole extent of Prigozhin’s riches is unknown, he has been described as a billionaire with a sizable fortune established on government contracts. One of the most well-known pictures is of him at the Kremlin in 2011, stooping over Putin while the Russian president is seated and extending a dish as Putin gives him an appreciative nod.

Washington imposed sanctions on him after accusing him of taking part in interference in the 2016 US presidential election, particularly through his online “troll factory.”

At the time, Prigozhin denied any involvement, and in 2020, he requested $50 billion in reparations from the US. Three journalists were slain in an ambush in July 2018 while investigating Wagner’s activities in the Central African Republic for an investigative media site.

While receiving popular credit in Russia as Wagner led the conquest of many major Ukrainian towns, including Bakhmut, Prigozhin has also lambasted the Russian defence administration for what he claims is chronic incompetence and deception.

Prigozhin has been embroiled in a fierce power struggle with the defence ministry for months, as his ragged soldiers have led costly battles for marginal advances in eastern Ukraine.

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

Russia’s FSB security service responded by initiating a criminal investigation into calls for “armed mutiny,” despite Prigozhin’s assurances that he was asking for “justice” and not a coup.

Prigozhin, who charged Moscow’s “monstrous bureaucracy” with stifling progress on the ground and accused Moscow of trying to “steal” victories from Wagner, laid direct blame for his fighters’ deaths on Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top officials, claiming Moscow had not supplied enough ammunition.

In his outburst, the leader of the Wagner Group avoided criticizing Putin, instead claiming that Mr Shoigu had misled the Russian president for more than a year and more than 350,000 casualties, for which Mr Prigozhin’s group is mostly accountable.

“The war was needed … so that Shoigu could become a Marshal so that he could get a second Hero Star… the war wasn’t for demilitarising or de-Nazifying Ukraine. It was needed for an extra star,” Mr Prigozhin said on Telegram.

Contrary to Russia’s generals, who have come under fire for skipping engagements, the bald and stocky Prigozhin frequently takes selfies with mercenaries who are purportedly on the front lines.

Wagner’s betrayal of the Russian military leadership adds to the already complex and poorly run military front, complicating matters for the nation’s war effort. The decision may also have an impact on how strongly Putin’s domestic system is supported by the populace. Since the start of the conflict, there has been a great deal of criticism of the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of young men. After hearing about Prigozhin’s remarks, police in Moscow reportedly began working early on Saturday to safeguard government facilities.

According to the NSC, American authorities are closely monitoring the situation. The counteroffensive against Russian forces is being carried out by Ukraine. A successful Ukrainian offensive against the Russians might assist increase U.S. political support for the conflict by providing financing for future American aid to the country in the issue.

Prior to the current clash with Russian officials, Prigozhin visited Russian jails to recruit Wagner fighters, offering to expunge their records in exchange for a half-month tour on the Ukrainian front lines.

In an interview in May, he boasted that he had recruited 50,000 men, almost 10,000 of whom were slain during the laborious and deadly capture of Bakhmut. Since the beginning of the war, the city has been Russia’s only significant advance.

Wagner’s forces in Bakhmut had been nearly half of the 20,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine since December. According to US estimates, Wagner had 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, including 40,000 prisoners and 10,000 contractors. Wagner Group is rumoured to be investing roughly $100 million a month in the conflict in Ukraine.

Many had predicted that Prigozhin would succeed Putin should the long-serving leader decide against seeking reelection in the 2024 Russian presidential elections.