The paramilitary leader then left the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don that evening. WebYevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin [a] (Russian: ; IPA: [ven viktrvt pron]; born 1 June 1961) is a Russian oligarch, [4] mercenary U.S. spies earlier this year caught Russian operatives boasting that they had convinced the UAE to work together against US and UK intelligence agencies, according to a document exposed in a major intelligence breach in April. Putin told a military gathering that Prigozhins Concord Group earned 80 billion rubles ($941 million) from a contract to provide the military with food, and that Wagner had received over 86 billion rubles (over $1 billion) in the past year for wages and additional items. Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed Prigozhin was in Belarus, and said he and some of his troops were welcome to stay for some time at their own expense. If they want to see the devil, let them see him., The Biden White House in that episode called him a known bad actor, and State Department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin.. "If we spread them thin, they would have come like a knife through butter.". Its one thing to allow [Prigozhin] to leave the country and never show his face; its another thing to say that Putin is going to forget about this, he says. FILE - Members of the Wagner Group military company load their tank onto a truck on a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023, prior to leaving an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District. He also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. Prigozhin had said such moves were planned ahead of a July 1 deadline for his fighters to sign contracts which he opposed to serve under Russias military command. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. They didnt waver and fulfilled the orders and their military duty with dignity.. Lukashenko framed the insurrection as a significant threat, saying he put Belarus' armed forces on a combat footing as the mutiny unfolded. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Here are some things to know about Prigozhin. In the end, its unclear what Prigozhin has gained. Russia's Wagner Group and Yevgeny Prigozhin: What to Know According to Meduza, an online investigative publication, Prigozhin was sentenced to prison in 1981 for robbery and other crimes, The New York Times reported. (AP Photo/File), (Uncredited, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. He was put in prison in the 1980s for basically assaulting a woman in the street. Since the start ofPutins invasion of Ukraine in February, Prigozhin has frequently boasted about Wagners role in the country, where the group is believed to have played a central part in the capture of several cities and towns in the east of the country. Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, center, founder of the mercenary military group Wagner, attending the funeral of a Russian military blogger in Moscow, in April. Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has urged an armed rebellion against the countrys military leadership, has deep ties to President Vladimir Putin. LONDON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that he had founded the Wagner Group private military company in 2014, the first public confirmation of a link he has previously denied and sued journalists for reporting. Still, the weekends events were qualitatively different from anything else we have seen before, Kragh says, because while those who previously challenged the Russian president were primarily outside of the political system, Prigozhin owes much of his rise in the political and military ranks to Putin. Prigozhin has used social media to his advantage, advancing his tough talk and brutality into a personal brand, the Times reported. Putin Ally Acknowledges Founding Wagner Mercenary Group. Some of the reported incidents stood out in their grisly brutality. The Kremlin had just seized Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and had its sights on the eastern Donbas region, where a conflict was brewing after mass protests in Kyiv toppled a pro-Russian government. Exiled Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has released an audio message for the first time since abandoning a march to Moscow. Although critical of Prigozhin, Putin praised Wagner troops' action in Ukraine and credited those who "didn't engage in fratricidal bloodshed and stopped on the brink.". Prigohzins next mission got much more attention, particularly from the U.S. In a nationally televised address Monday night, Putin again blasted organizers of the rebellion as traitors who played into the hands of Ukraine's government and its allies. All rights reserved. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said its investigation found that those involved in the mutiny, which lasted less than 24 hours after Prigozhin declared it Friday, "ceased activities directed at committing the crime," so the case would not be pursued. We do know that Putin has a lot more to answer for in the weeks and months ahead, he said. Pilots, our combat comrades, died while confronting the mutiny, he said. Though the reports could not be independently verified, they suggest that if the proceedings do continue, Prigozhinwho has been accused of betrayal and treason by Putin and Russian officialspotentially faces up to 20 years in prison. All rights reserved. Russia has ordered the arrest of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin This article was amended on 28 October 2022 to refer to private military companies being officially banned in Russia, rather than in Ukraine. In 1981, the Leningrad Criminal Court sentenced him to prison for various crimes, including robbing a woman at knifepoint and burglarizing several apartments, In his speech Monday, he criticized the uprising's "organizers," without naming Prigozhin. Lukashenko said there is no reason to fear Wagners presence in his country, though in Russia, Wagner-recruited convicts have been suspected of violent crimes. Magazines, Digital Realizing all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed from one side, we will turn our convoys around and go in the opposite direction to our field camps, Prigozhin said in an audio broadcast on Telegram. Receive a detailed news briefing each morning and evening along with our Attractions Insider briefing on Fridays on our app, California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information/Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising, Russian authorities say they have closed a criminal investigation into the armed rebellion led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, with no charges against him or any of the other participants, The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said its investigation found that those involved in the mutiny "ceased activities directed at committing the crime", The whereabouts of Prigozhin remain a mystery, The Kremlin has said Prigozhin would be exiled to neighboring Belarus, but neither he nor the Belarusian authorities have confirmed that. It said that the Lukashenko-negotiated deal is a short-term fix, not a long-term solution, and Prigozhins rebellion exposed severe weaknesses in the Kremlin and the Russian Defense Ministry. I hope that while doing so they didnt steal anything, or stole not so much, Putin said, adding that authorities would look closely at Concords contract. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described Russia's political and military leaders as bandits on Wednesday, and ruled out any peace plan that would turn the war on Ukraine into a frozen conflict. But thats the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, Galeotti said. A reversal is also predictable on Putins part, Kragh continues, given that 15 Russian servicemen were killed during the uprising by Wagner. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Prigozhin's Concord catering firm confirmed to Reuters that the statement was genuine. The Treasury Department previously pointed to the United Arab Emirates, a key strategic partner of the United States in the Middle East, as a country of focus for allegedly serving as a hub for Russian sanctions-busting. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner Group mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. Russian media reported that they downed several helicopters and a military communications plane. Wagner Group, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, and Russia's Disinformation The series of stunning events in recent days constitutes the gravest threat so far to Putins grip on power, occurring during the 16-month-old war in Ukraine, and he again acknowledged the threat Tuesday in saying the result could have been a civil war. Yevgeny Prigozhin's troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry. Among those who have died in unclear circumstances was the chairman of the board of Russias largest private oil company, which criticized Russias military operation in Ukraine. The Defense Ministry has not commented. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records a video addressing the rebellion in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. Putin mentioned the casualties and honored them with a moment of silence. Putins regime has long been defined by his efforts to crush dissent and political opposition. Yevgeny Prigozhin Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and Prigozhin ordered his troops back to their field camps. Anchors on state-controlled television stations cast the deal ending the crisis as a show of President Vladimir Putins wisdom and aired footage of the Wagner Groups troops retreating from Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia. Referring to previous orders from the Russian ministry of defense asking his commanders to sign government contracts, Prigozhin said the Wagner group was categorically against the decision to close Wagner on 1 July 2023 and to incorporate it into the defense ministry.. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin said then. The U.S.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War says the Kremlin faces a deeply unstable equilibrium after the deal to end the rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group. Prigozhin is a former conman -- he was a thug, Samantha de Bendern, of Royal Institute of International Affairs, told SkyNews. Now the man who restarted his life with a single hot-dog stand had an army that was battle tested, experienced in disinformation, and perhaps most crucially, had its own independent source of funding. Prigozhin has previously sued outlets including investigative website Bellingcat, Russian news site Meduza and now-shuttered radio station Echo of Moscow for reporting his links to Wagner. The Wagner mercenary group chief now appears to have abandoned that rebellion for exile in Belarus, in a deal that leaves more questions than answers. Cutting a deal with Putin may have left Prigozhin in a fraught situation with the estimated 25,000 Wagner troops who took part in the rebellion and will now have to disband. With the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Prigozhin was able and eager to again prove his value to Putin. But many of those who have opposed or betrayed Putin have met their deaths months or years later, some even after leaving Russia. He again declared that the army and people didn't support the mutiny, but avoided mentioning Prigozhin by name. If he lays low, he may still end up drinking poisoned tea, and if he is too loud, he will become even more of a liability for Moscow.. General view of the "PMC Wagner Centre", associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ahead of its opening in Saint Petersburg, Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the private army of prison recruits and other mercenaries who have fought some of the deadliest battles in Russias invasion of Ukraine, escaped prosecution for his abortive armed rebellion against the Kremlin and arrived Tuesday in Belarus. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali," said Brian E. Nelson, Treasurys under secretary for terrorism and financial Intelligence. China has not officially commented on the crisis in Russia. In 2018, three Russian journalists were shot and killed under murky circumstances while investigating the activities of Wagner in Central African Republic. Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine, Prigozhin has moved to Belarus, and Russia, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Prigozhin has moved to Belarus, and Russia wont press charges for mutiny, What the Titanic submersible saga and the Greek migrant shipwreck say about our reactions to tragedy, UN report finds Russia tortured, executed civilians in Ukraine; Kyiv also abused detainees, Putin says the aborted rebellion played into the hands of Russias enemies, Biden calls mutiny a struggle within the Russian system and says US and NATO played no part, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. The groups alleged co-founder, Dmitry Utkin, has been linked to the far right and is believed to have named the group after Hitlers favourite composer. On Friday, June 23, Prigozhin made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. The Winner of Wagner Group's Thwarted Mutiny, 2023 TIME USA, LLC. He lost his father at a young age, SkyNews reported. The Russian leader has sought to project influence around the world from his neighbors in eastern Europe to the Middle East and Africa and Prigozhin has helped him do it. Later in the day, forces led by Prigozhin advanced toward Moscow, moving north to the Lipetsk region. What is the Wagner Group, and who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was a Putin ally before launching a rebellion inside Russia. He praised the rank-and-file mutineers, however, who didnt engage in fratricidal bloodshed and stopped on the brink.. 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