Yevgeni Prigozhin: Difference between revisions
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'''Early years''' | '''Early years''' | ||
Born on June 1, 1961 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). In 1977 he graduated from the sports boarding school No. 62 (modern college of the Olympic Reserve No. 1). He was engaged in cross—country skiing, to which he was accustomed by his stepfather - ski coach Samuel Friedmanovich Zharkoy | Born on June 1, 1961 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). In 1977 he graduated from the sports boarding school No. 62 (modern college of the Olympic Reserve No. 1). He was engaged in cross—country skiing, to which he was accustomed by his stepfather - ski coach Samuel Friedmanovich Zharkoy | ||
Revision as of 15:42, 31 October 2023
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“ | We will all go to hell, but in hell we will be the best. | „ |
~ Yevgeni Prigozhin |
“ | I have been avoiding the blows of many opponents for a long time with one main goal — not to substitute these guys, who are the basis of Russian patriotism. | „ |
~ Yevgeni Prigozhin |
Yevgeny Prigozhin was one Russian mercenary leader and an oligarch. He headed the private military company Wagner Group and was a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin before the uprising began in June 2023 Prigozhin was sometimes called "Putin's chef" because he owned restaurants and catering establishments that provided services to the Kremlin. Once convicted in the Soviet Union, Prigozhin controlled a network of influential companies whose activities, according to the 2020 investigation, It was "closely integrated with the Russian Ministry of Defense and its intelligence unit, the GRU."
In 2014, Prigozhin reportedly founded the Wagner Group to support pro-Russian paramilitary groups in Ukraine. Funded by the Russian state, it played a significant role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supported Russian interests in Syria and Africa. In November 2022, Prigozhin acknowledged the interference of his companies in the elections in the United States. In February 2023, he confirmed that he is the founder and long-time head of the Internet Research Agency, a Russian company engaged in online propaganda and disinformation campaigns.
Early years
Born on June 1, 1961 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). In 1977 he graduated from the sports boarding school No. 62 (modern college of the Olympic Reserve No. 1). He was engaged in cross—country skiing, to which he was accustomed by his stepfather - ski coach Samuel Friedmanovich Zharkoy
On November 29, 1979, when Yevgeny was 18 years old, the Kuibyshev Court of Leningrad sentenced Prigozhin to 2 years probation under Articles 15 and 144 of Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR ("attempted theft"), and in 1981, when Prigozhin was 20 years old, the Zhdanov Court of Leningrad sentenced him to 13 years in prison under articles of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR "theft", "robbery", "fraud", "involvement of a minor in the commission of a crime". Prigozhin was then nicknamed "Jacko", as one of his accomplices said. It was in the colony that he lost the phalanx of the ring finger of his left hand, but the injury was most likely industrial].
In 1988, he was pardoned and in 1990 he left the colony-settlement.
According to RBC data for 2016, Yevgeny Prigozhin graduated from the Leningrad Chemical and Pharmaceutical Institute with a degree in pharmacist-pharmacist. However, Prigozhin himself in 2018, in an interview with the portal "City 812", said that he had not completed his studies at this institute.
Entrepreneurial activity In 1990, together with his stepfather, he organized a hot dog chain in Leningrad.
In 1993, he became the manager of the supermarket chain "Contrast".
By 1995, the chain had grown to 10 stores. In 1995, Prigozhin opened a bar-shop "Wine Club" on Vasilievsky Island.
In December 1996, together with partners, he opened the first elite restaurant in St. Petersburg "Old Customs" in the building of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The invested 350 thousand dollars paid off in five months, and by the end of the year the first million dollars was earned. In 1996, he opened a catering business — the Concord Catering company.
In the spring of 1998, Prigozhin opened the restaurant "New Island", which became a popular place with the financial and political elite.
In the summer of 1999, Sergei Stepashin and IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus met there.
In 2001, a dinner of the Presidents of Russia and France, Vladimir Putin and Jacques Chirac, was held on board the New Island.
In May 2002, Vladimir Putin hosted George W. Bush.
In the fall of 2003, Putin celebrated his birthday on the ship.