Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman close to President Vladimir Putin, was born on June 1, 1961 in Saint Petersburg and grew up there, and graduated as a pharmacist from the Leningrad Institute.
He is called "Putin's cook" because his restaurants and companies are responsible for catering to Putin's guests, presidents, kings, and princes during their official visits to Russia.
Daily Prigozhin also serves lunch to members of the Russian Cabinet in his restaurant located inside the Government House, and is the main supplier of food to the Russian army.
Prigozhin controls a network of companies, including the Wagner paramilitary group, which recruits armed mercenaries in several regions of the world, such as Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and conflict zones in some Sahara and Sahel countries in Africa to support pro-Russian parties and take care of Moscow's interests.
Birth and upbringing
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin was born on June 1, 1961 in Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), located on the delta of the Neva River, east of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, and his father worked as a mining engineer.
Yevgeny Prigozhin serves food to Putin's guests of presidents, kings and princes (Russian press)
Study and scientific training
Prigozhin studied at a boarding school for athletics, graduating in 1977, and in his youth was fond of skating, which he learned from his stepfather, ski coach Samuel Zarkoy.
After that, Prigozhin graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemicals "LHFI" (LHFI) with the degree of pharmacist, is married and has two children.
prison experience
In November 1979 Prigozhin was given a suspended prison sentence for theft.
After that, he was also sentenced to 12 years in prison for theft, fraud and involvement in teenage crime, of which he served 9 years and then released in 1988 after being pardoned.
Functions and Responsibilities
Prigozhin professionally engaged in cross-country skiing, worked as a coach at the sports school of the Krasnogvardesky district of the Neva.
In 1990, Prigozhin started his business selling sausages, and since 1991 his business has expanded, opening several supermarkets, and in 1995 he became the owner of the Wine Club restaurant and bar on Vasilievsky Island.
Prigozhin realized that his enterprise would not be profitable without a wine connoisseur, which was already found by the Englishman Tony Gere, who proposed to him the idea of opening another catering establishment where visitors could eat sausage and drink beer.
Also in 1995, Prigozhin established the "Concorde", a developed village in the north of Versailles, which later took over the organization of banquets in the Kremlin and became a leader in catering services, and included in its structure famous catering institutions such as "Gloss" and "Blindonalts" and "Russian Empire".
In 1996, Prigozhin opened the city's first high-end restaurant called "Old Customs", after which other restaurants owned by him appeared, such as "Kitch Rossi", "Seven Forty" and "Stroganov Palace".
Gradually Prigozhin's revenue grew, and in 1997 he put aside his investment in the luxurious New Island floating restaurant in Saint Petersburg, where Vladimir Putin celebrated his birthday at the time.
In 2001, Prigozhin joined Putin's inner circle when the Russian president began frequenting his floating restaurant, and in 2009, Prigozhin opened a restaurant inside the seat of government in the Russian Federation.
In addition to the field of hospitality and restaurants, Prigozhin heads a pro-Kremlin media group called "The Patriot", which says that it is working to confront the "anti-Russian" media, which "does not notice the positives that are happening in the country."
The company includes 4 news sites headquartered in Saint Petersburg: RIE Fan News Agency, Narodny Novosti, Economica Segodynia and Politika Segodynia.
In the spring of 2008, the restaurant "SBB" was opened in the Russian capital, Moscow, which has become a favorite holiday destination for residents of North Palmyra, who come to work in Moscow.
And in 2012 Prigozhin was awarded a contract to supply meals to the Russian army worth $1.2 billion annually.
On May 1, 2014, he founded the Wagner Group, which Prigozhin admitted in a comment he wrote on his Concorde page on social media, saying, “I, like many other businessmen, went to the training grounds, and tried to pay money for the recruitment of a group That would protect the Russians."
In December 2018, about 130 kindergarten students developed diarrhea, as Concord provided meals to a number of schools in Moscow, and on October 31, 2019, the Mechansky Court of Moscow ordered Prigozhin to pay compensation to the parents of the affected children.
Yevgeny Prigozhin was known as "Putin's cook" in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who brought him close to him (Russian press)
Sanctions List
The US government has placed Prigozhin on its sanctions list for suspected involvement in fraud in the 2016 and 2018 US elections.
Washington accuses Prigozhin of having, through his company, Concorde, financially supports an Internet research agency based in St. Petersburg, and creates false accounts on social media with the purpose of influencing American voters.
In February 2018, a US jury named Prigozhin, his company Concord and its business partners and the Internet Research Agency among those accused of election interference.
Prigozhin was also indicted following the release of the report by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which was investigating allegations that Russia was trying to support Donald Trump's election campaign.
Although Prigozhin denied these accusations, in July 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on 3 Russian citizens and 5 companies linked to Prigozhin.
The US sanctions include three private planes and a yacht that Prigozhin, his family and associates are likely to use, and which is registered in the Seychelles and Cayman Islands, which are considered tax havens.
The US administration said that these planes have made several flights to destinations in Africa, the Middle East and Europe in recent years, and American companies and citizens are prohibited from dealing with Prigozhin or providing services to his planes and yachts.
On February 26, 2021, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that 15 Russian citizens, including Prigozhin, had been placed on its wanted list for defrauding Washington in files related to the US elections.
The FBI said in a statement that Prigozhin was "wanted by the FBI for his involvement in a conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing, obstructing and corrupting the legal functions of the Federal Election Commission, the US Department of Justice and the US Department of State," between early 2014. and February 16, 2018.
The report said that the "FBI" is ready to offer a reward of 250 thousand dollars for information leading to the arrest of Prigozhin.
The next day, the company Concord published the address where Prigozhin can be found, saying in its statement on the social network "VKontakte", "Prigozhin can be found at the following address: St. Petersburg, Corniche Lieutenant Schmidt, Building No. 7. Please pay 250 thousand dollars us in exchange for the information provided.
On July 28, 2022, the US State Department offered $10 million for information on Prigozhin and associated legal entities and individuals.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Prigozhin (right) because his company Concorde was serving the needs of the Kremlin (French)
honors and awards
Prigozhin was awarded a number of honors, including:
Medal on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the founding of Saint Petersburg.
National Award "Hospitality 2004".
The Order of Merit to the Fatherland, fourth degree, in 2014, and later he was awarded the same medal, first and second degrees.
"Order of Recognition" for his personal contribution to the development of the hospitality industry in Russia.
The title "Hero of the Russian Federation", an honorary decoration and title given to citizens of the Russian Federation, in recognition of their services to the Russian state with the Gold Star medal.
literature
In 2003, Prigozhin and his two children Paulina and Pavel wrote a book for schoolchildren called Indraguziki, a fictional account of the inhabitants of the town of Indraguzia, ruled by King Indragos, as a group of dwarves gather around to defend him against enemies.
The book was not offered for sale in bookstores and book markets, but more than a thousand copies of it were distributed as gifts to dignitaries and celebrities.