Episode 2246
Yevgeny Prigozhin
Tue, 2023-Jun-27 01:23 UTC
Length - 4:00
Direct Link
Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a popular Wikipedia page every day.
With 220,709 views on Monday, 26 June 2023 our article of the day is Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (Russian: Евге́ний Ви́кторович Приго́жин; IPA: [ɪ̯ɪvˈɡʲenʲɪɪ̯ ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ prʲɪˈɡoʐɨn]; born 1 June 1961) is a Russian oligarch, mercenary chief, and a former close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin until he launched an alleged coup in June 2023. Prigozhin is sometimes called "Putin's chef", as he owns restaurants and catering companies that provide services for the Kremlin. Once a convict in the Soviet Union, Prigozhin now controls a network of influential companies, including the Russian state-backed mercenary company Wagner Group and three companies accused of interference in the 2016 and 2018 US elections. According to a 2022 investigation by Bellingcat, The Insider, and Der Spiegel, Prigozhin's activities "are tightly integrated with Russia's Defence Ministry and its intelligence arm, the GRU". After years of denying his links to Wagner, on 26 September 2022 he confirmed that he was its founder. He stated that he founded it in May 2014, to support Russian forces in the war in Donbas. This admission was prompted by a viral video in which Prigozhin was shown in a Mari El prison recruiting inmates, promising them freedom if they served six months with the Wagner Group. Prigozhin had long denied his role in Russian interference in US elections. In November 2022, however, he admitted his role in such operations, saying they would continue. In February 2023, he stated he was the founder and long-time manager of the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company accused of online propaganda operations.
Prigozhin, his companies, and associates face economic sanctions and criminal charges in the United States, and in the United Kingdom he remains a designated person under sanctions. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the arrest of Prigozhin. In October 2020, the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions against Prigozhin in connection with his financing of the activities of Wagner Group in Libya. In April 2022, new sanctions were imposed on him by the EU because of his role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 23 June 2023, Prigozhin launched a rebellion against the Russian military leadership and announced he was moving his forces into Russia, capturing Rostov-on-Don before marching on Moscow. A criminal case was raised against him but dropped on the same day; according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to Belarus as part of the negotiated settlement of his PMC's rebellion.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:23 UTC on Tuesday, 27 June 2023.
For the full current version of the article, see Yevgeny Prigozhin on Wikipedia.
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