Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (Russian: Евгений Викторович Пригожин; born 1 June 1961) is a Russian oligarch and a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin is sometimes called "Putin's chef", because 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 U.S. 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, he eventually confirmed that he was its founder on 26 September 2022. 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 U.S. elections. In November 2022, 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 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.
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