Yevgeny Prigozhin's fate has been entwined with the Kremlin for decades -- as a trusted government contractor, and the head of the Wagner mercenary army that fought in Ukraine and has been blamed for doing Russia's dirty work in Syria and Africa.
Prigozhin used that connection to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname "Putin's chef." He later expanded into other areas, including media and an infamous internet "troll factory" that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
But it wasn't until September 2022 that Prigozhin acknowledged founding, leading and financing Wagner. By then, his mercenaries -- including men he'd recruited in Russian prisons -- were fighting and dying by scores in Ukraine, especially in the shattered town of Bakhmut.Prigozhin fostered Wagner's reputation for ruthlessness, and the mercenaries have been accused by Western countries and U.N.
Wagner took an increasingly visible role in the Ukraine war as regular Russian troops suffered heavy attrition and lost territory in humiliating setbacks. After the capture of Soldear, Prigozhin increasingly raised his public profile, for months boasting almost daily about Wagner's purported victories, sardonically mocking his enemies and complaining in profanity-laced diatribes about the military brass.
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