Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, 'Putin's Chef' who is now challenging Russia's President Putin?

Colombo (News 1st) - Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, made headlines around the world on Friday (23) when he led thousands of members of his Wagner Group Russian mercenary army across the Ukrainian border and marched a hundred kilometers to capture Rostov, a city of 1.2 million people that also happens to be the headquarters of the Russian military's Southern Command.

So who exactly is Yevgeny Prigozhin?

For decades, Prigozhin was a close ally of Vladimir Putin, so successful that he owns several private jets and a luxury yacht, according to international media. His nickname to this day is 'Putin's Chef', since he owns a flourishing restaurant and food supply business. He even personally served President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac at banquets hosted by Putin.

But he has indeed had a storied career - from his early days as a petty thief who served nine years in prison during his youth, to a hot dog seller in a market, and then a restauranteur, and a manager of a grocery store who went on to own a chain of stores. He later ventured into the casino business, which is when he is believed to have befriended Putin, who was then a mid-level government official. He went on to become a major supplier of restaurant services and other diversified services to the Russian government.

The FBI has offered a $ 250,000 reward for his capture, on charges that three of his companies interfered in the 2016 U.S. election that brought Donald Trump to power. Prigozhin admitted in 2023 that his companies did interfere in the election by social media trolling and influencing. The U.S. has offered a $ 10 million reward for information regarding Prigozhin's election-interfering activities. The European Union has also placed one of his companies on its sanctioned list.

In 2014, Prigozhin founded the Wagner Group, which Western military experts say would not have been allowed without Putin's complete approval.

Wagner troops have been involved in fighting in Ukraine since 2014, long before the Russian military moved across the border. The Group shot to fame at the forefront of the Russian army in Ukraine, where it was instrumental in capturing several strategic towns such as Bakhmut two months ago.

The Group has been expanding its global reach and has served as a de facto extension of the Russian government's foreign policies. It is now known to have thousands of military consultants in conflicts in Syria and more than 20 countries throughout Africa.