Yevgeny Prigozhin: The former hot dog seller and thug who became Wagner boss at centre of mutiny
From flea market hot dog seller to the head of a mercenary group behind a mutiny against the Russian military, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rise has been far from ordinary.
A former convict who spent much of his young life behind bars, he rose up to become close to Vladimir Putin.
He even earned himself the nickname “Putin’s chef” on account of his Kremlin-linked catering business.
Wagner troops seize city 300 miles from Moscow – Ukraine war latest
But the 62-year-old boss of the mercenary Wagner Group now stands accused of open rebellion against Russia by his close friend.
It is a situation some experts say has been a long time coming, particularly in light of Prigozhin’s incendiary remarks about Russia’s military leadership and his previous warning of a 1917-style rebellion.
But who is Prigozhin and how did we get to this point?
Crime and hot dogs
Born in 1961 in the city of Leningrad – now Saint Petersburg, Prigozhin had a difficult start in life, losing his father at a young age.
He turned to crime in his teenage years, initially theft, but quickly escalating into more serious crimes. He was jailed for 12 years, aged 20, in 1981 after being convicted of robbery and fraud.
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Putin accuses Prigozhin of treason
“Prigozhin is a former conman – he was a thug,” according to Samantha de Bendern from the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
“He was put in prison in the 1980s for basically assaulting a woman in the street. He spent quite a number of years in the Soviet Union’s penitentiary system,” she told Sky News.
Prigozhin was pardoned in 1988 and released in 1990, when he began selling hot dogs at a flea market in Leningrad with his mother and stepfather.
He left prison during perestroika and glasnost – the period in the 1990s when Russia was opening up to the world after years of isolation under communism.
‘Putin’s butcher’ and joining the elite
Prigozhin later founded, or become involved in, many new businesses and in the 2000s, he grew closer to Putin.
“He very quickly got onto the private property/private enterprise bandwagon and ended up being a hot dog seller,” Ms de Bendern told Sky News.
“And this is where things become very mysterious because he transformed himself from hot dog seller to restaurateur to the grand and great of the new post-Soviet Russian elite.”
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Putin and Prigozhin’s relationship explained
According to a New York Times article in 2018, Prigozhin said the “rubles were piling up faster than his mother could count them”.
His companies won lucrative government contracts, including providing school lunches, and in Moscow alone his company Concord won millions of dollars in deals.
Prigozhin eventually became the caterer to a number of Russian state concerns, including the army – a deal which jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny claimed broke competition bidding rules.
He was also catered for a lot of state visits and met presidents and heads of state – including then-French president Jacques Chirac, who dined with Putin at one of his restaurants.
Prigozhin in May as he prepared to hand over Bakhmut to the regular Russian army
His catering background and his work for the Kremlin earned Prigozhin the nickname “Putin’s chef” – or sometimes “Putin’s butcher”.
Prigozhin addressed the nickname earlier this year and denied he was ever a chef, saying “butcher” was more accurate.
“They could have just given me a nickname right away – Putin’s butcher, and everything would have been fine,” he said.
Coming out as Wagner leader
A once shadowy private military contractor (PMC), little was known about the Wagner Group’s formation and Prigozhin’s role was kept a closely guarded secret.
Experts believe it was likely set up to allow plausible deniability about Russia’s military involvement in Ukraine and Syria.
It is privately owned but its management and operations are “deeply intertwined” with the Russian military and intelligence community, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an American think tank.
The Russian government has previously denied involvement with the group and has insisted private military contractors are not legal in Russia.
Prigozhin has released angry video rants at Russia’s military leaders
However, Putin recently praised Wagner’s capture of Bakhmut in what’s believed to be his first acknowledgment of the group.
The group came to the world’s attention in 2014 during the Donbas conflict, where it supported pro-Russian separatists in a coup, and for sneak attacks, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering during the annexation of Crimea.
Read more:
Prigozhin a disaster waiting to happen – analysis
Putin accuses mercenary boss of treason
Wagner is also believed to have operated in countries in Africa – including Mali, Mozambique and Sudan – where it has been accused of human rights abuses by the EU.
Prigozhin previously denied any links to Wagner and even launched legal action against Western journalists who attempted to draw such a connection.
However, after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin went public and claimed he had founded the mercenary force in 2014.
Recruiting thousands of prisoners
Prigozhin’s influence has grown since the invasion and his forces have stepped out of the shadows to be used openly in combat.
In late March 2022, UK defence intelligence and US officials said Wagner Group had about 1,000 personnel in Donbas and eastern Ukraine.
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Then, in August, posters calling for recruits to join Wagner began to appear in Russian cities; while a month later, a video appeared which showed Prigozhin attempting to recruit prisoners.
By December, Wagner forces had swelled to 50,000, according to John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the White House’s National Security Council.
Around 40,000 were believed to be convicts and the rest contractors, he added.
“Wagner almost certainly now commands 50,000 fighters in Ukraine,” the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in January this year.
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How Prigozhin’s rebellion could impact Putin
Despite huge casualty rates, it has proved effective at delivering battlefield success – something the Russian army has struggled with.
Prigozhin’s forces were heavily involved in the capture of Bakhmut, one of the war’s bloodiest battles.
According to US figures, around 20,000 Russian troops were killed in the fighting, with around half thought to be from the Wagner Group.
While Prigozin has appeared to show compassion for the life of his mercenaries at times, he infamously appeared to revel in the brutal execution of a Wagner deserter with a sledgehammer.
“A dog receives a dog’s death,” said Prigozhin in response to the video, published in November last year.
‘Eat their guts in hell’ – Clashes with the Kremlin
While Wagner forces have made advances, the war has also given Prigozhin a chance to further his own political ambitions.
He has, on several occasions, made public his displeasure with the Russian military leadership, often in strongly-worded videos on social media.
Earlier this year, he accused the defence ministry of failing to provide enough ammunition to Wagner forces in Bakhmut and not providing cover for their flanks.
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Wagner leader claims Bakhmut victory
He even threatened to pull troops out if they were not resupplied.
“These are someone’s fathers and someone’s sons,” Prigozhin said at the time, as he shared a video of himself standing by the bodies of dead troops.
“The scum that doesn’t give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.”
Earlier this month, Prigozhin arrived in Moscow with a contract which, in effect, attempted to formalise Wagner as an equivalent but separate military force to the Russian army.
Hours before his rebellion, he took aim at defence minister Shoigu – often the main target of his vitriol – as well as chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov.
He also claimed Kremlin officials and oligarchs wanted the invasion of Ukraine to make money and advance their own careers.
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Russian mercenary hands over US and Turkish bodies
Prigozhin has often taken swipes at the Russian “elite”, who he claims have avoided the impact of the war while reaping the benefits.
In May, he warned the country would face turmoil if ordinary Russians continued getting their children back in coffins while those of the elite “shook their a***s” in the sun.
He also released a video in which he paid respect to foreign fighters who had fallen while fighting for Ukraine in Bakhmut by draping their coffins with their country’s flag – which some experts said was a ploy to boost his position among world leaders.
However, while critical of Kremlin officials, one thing Prigozhin has been careful to avoid is criticism of Putin himself.
“He is a product of the Kremlin,” said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre.
“He can be against part of the elite but at the same time, if he were against Putin, he would disappear overnight.”
Mark Galeotti of University College London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, said during his podcast In Moscow’s Shadows: “[Prigozhin] is not one of Putin’s close figures or a confidant.
“Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants, and does very well for himself in the process. But that’s the thing – he is part of the staff, rather than part of the family.”
World
Methanol poisoning warning list expanded – symptoms to spot and how you can avoid it when travelling
Eight countries have been added to a UK Foreign Office (FCDO) list warning Britons of a risk of methanol poisoning from tainted alcohol.
Guidance has been added to the FCDO’s travel pages for Ecuador, Kenya, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Uganda and Russia after an increase in cases of serious illness and death caused by alcoholic drinks tainted with methanol.
The list previously only included methanol poisoning guidance for countries where British nationals have been affected.
This included: Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Fiji.
Last year, British backpacker Simone White died in Laos, after reportedly drinking “free shots” from a local bar in the resort of Vang Vieng.
The 28-year-old from Orpington, Kent, was one of four, including an Australian woman and two Danish women, who died after being treated for methanol poisoning.
As part of the FCDO Travel Aware campaign, it is issuing information on recognising the symptoms and reducing the risks of methanol poisoning.
Hamish Falconer, the minister responsible for consular and crisis, said: “Methanol poisoning can kill – it can be difficult to detect when drinking and early symptoms mirror ordinary alcohol poisoning. By the time travellers realise the danger, it can be too late.
“I encourage all travellers to check our travel advice and Travel Aware pages before they go on holiday.”
Vang Vieng, Laos. File pic: iStock
What is methanol?
Methanol, or CH3OH, is very similar to ethanol – the pure form of alcohol in alcoholic drinks.
Like ethanol, it is an odourless, tasteless, and highly flammable liquid – but it has a different chemical structure that makes it toxic for humans.
Otherwise known as wood alcohol, methanol is most often used to make solvents, pesticides, paint thinners, and alternative fuels.
What makes it so dangerous is the way our bodies metabolise it.
Once consumed, our enzymes metabolise methanol into formaldehyde, the substance used to make industrial glue and embalming substances, before breaking it down into formic acid.
“The formic acid upsets the acid balance in blood and the major consequence is initially the effect on someone’s breathing. There are effects on many other organs, the kidney being one,” says Professor Alastair Hay, emeritus professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds.
“Formaldehyde attacks nerves, particularly the optic nerve and blindness is a potential risk,” he adds.
Travelling Britons should avoid counterfeit alcohols. Pic: iStock
How does it end up in alcoholic drinks?
In southeast Asia and other popular tourist destinations, methanol can be found in alcoholic drinks for two main reasons.
Firstly, it is cheaper than ethanol, so it is sometimes added instead to save costs, before the counterfeit alcohol is bottled and sold in shops and bars.
Alternatively, it can occur by accident when alcohol is homemade – something common across the region.
When alcohol is distilled and fermented without the appropriate monitoring, it can sometimes produce methanol in toxic quantities.
Because it is impossible to tell the difference between methanol and ethanol content without specialist equipment, homemade drinks are often offered to tourists without anyone knowing how dangerous they are.
Simone White died of methanol poisoning in Laos in 2024
What are the symptoms of methanol poisoning?
Methanol is highly toxic, so as little as 25ml can prove fatal.
Methanol poisoning can be treated by using ethanol to counter the effects on the body – but only within the first 10 to 30 hours after consumption.
This makes early diagnosis and warnings to others critical. Some symptoms, however, can appear 12–48 hours after drinking.
The most common symptoms are:
• Vomiting and nausea;
• Changes in vision, including blurring, loss of sight, tunnel vision and difficulty looking at bright lights;
• Abdominal and muscle pain;
• Dizziness and confusion;
• Drowsiness and fatigue.
Methanol poisoning symptoms are similar to those from alcohol poisoning – but are often more severe. If drinks were left unattended or your symptoms appear disproportionate to the amount you drank, it could be methanol poisoning, authorities warn.
How is it treated?
Professor Hay says treatment involves removing methanol from the blood via dialysis – while “keeping someone mildly drunk” by giving them ethanol at the same time.
“The principle behind administering ethanol is quite simple; it delays methanol metabolism,” he says.
“Both alcohols are broken down by the same liver enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase. But the enzyme prefers ethanol.
“So ethanol acts as a competitive inhibitor largely preventing methanol breakdown, but markedly slowing it down, allowing the body to vent methanol from the lungs and some through the kidneys, and a little through sweat.”
This avoids the process of methanol ultimately metabolising as formic acid, he adds.
How can you avoid it while travelling?
The most commonly affected drinks are:
• Local spirits, such as rice and palm liquor, often labelled ‘special’ or ‘happy’ drinks;
• Spirit-based mixed drinks such as cocktails;
• Counterfeit brand-name bottled alcohol sold in bars and shops.
In order to minimise risks, travellers should:
• Buy alcohol only from licensed bars, hotels, or shops;
• Check labels for signs bottles may be counterfeit, including poor print quality or spelling errors;
• Avoid homemade alcohol;
• Check bottles are properly sealed before drinking from them;
• Avoid free drinks you have not seen poured yourself;
• Do not leave drinks or food unattended.
A 100-strong specialist police unit is investigating the daring theft of French Crown Jewels from the Louvre – as officers face “a race against time” to recover the “priceless” objects.
On Sunday, four thieves stole nine items – one of which was dropped and recovered at the scene – in a heist pulled off while the central Paris museum was open to visitors.
What do we know about the police investigation?
A huge police operation to find the culprits and the jewels is now under way – with one expert describing the probe as “one of the biggest manhunts in French history”.
Paris prosecutors have entrusted the investigation to a specialised unit known as the BRB, which often deals with high-profile robberies.
A former officer who served in the unit has said it handled the 2016 Kim Kardashian probe, after a gang stormed the reality TV star’s Paris apartment, tied her up and escaped with jewellery worth an estimated $6m (£4.4m).
Read more: What will happen to the stolen jewellery?
A forensic team inspects a window believed to have been used by the culprits. Pic: Reuters
Pascal Szkudlara said the BRB has around 100 agents, with over a dozen who specialise in museum thefts.
Investigators are examining video evidence, telephone records and forensic evidence, while also speaking to informants.
Mr Szkudlara said the BRB “can have teams working on it 24/7 and for a long period”, adding he has “100%” confidence the thieves will be caught.
Art detective Arthur Brand – who helps police across Europe with investigations into missing works – has said officers will also be reviewing security footage going back weeks, looking to identify suspicious people casing out the gallery.
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‘Matter of time’ before gang hit Louvre
What do we know about the culprits?
Only a small pool of criminals would be capable of a job as audacious as Sunday’s heist and they may already be known to police, specialists say.
Art theft expert Anthony Amore told Sky News the culprits are “probably a European criminal gang”.
“The idea it’s professional thieves like you see in Ocean’s 11, it’s not that,” he told presenter Anna Botting. “It’s the sort of people who do this in all sorts of venues, so they are professional in that sense. They had this very well planned out.”
What have officers found so far?
As well as recovering one of the stolen items – a crown that once belonged to Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie – at the scene, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said police have found “motorcycles and a licence plate”.
They have also recovered evidence from a cherry picker used by the thieves to access the first-floor Galerie d’Apollon, where the jewels were on display.
Read more:
The stolen items revealed
Workers ‘repeatedly warned of security shortcomings’
An officer swabs the cherry picker. Pic: Louvre
Ms Dati added: “I also want to pay tribute to the security officers who prevented the basket lift from being set on fire.
“One of the criminals tried to set it on fire, but they forced him to flee.”
Police face ‘a race against time’
Art detective Mr Brand told Sky News the likelihood of the loot being found intact is reducing every day.
“These crown jewels are so famous, you just cannot sell them,” he explained. “The only thing they can do is melt the silver and gold down, dismantle the diamonds, try to cut them. That’s the way they will probably disappear forever.”
He said officers will need to catch the thieves within the week to preserve any hopes of the jewels being recovered.
“If it takes longer, the loot is probably gone and dismantled,” he said. “It’s a race against time.”
The jewels stolen from the Louvre are worth an estimated €88m (£76m), a Paris prosecutor has said.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said about 100 investigators were involved in the police hunt for the suspects and the gems following the heist on Sunday from the world’s most-visited museum.
“The wrongdoers who took these gems won’t earn €88m if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels,” she told broadcaster RTL.
“We can perhaps hope that they’ll think about this and won’t destroy these jewels without rhyme or reason.”
It comes after France’s culture minister said the security apparatus installed at the Louvre worked properly during the theft, after questions emerged about the security and whether security cameras might have failed.
The thieves rode a basket lift up the Louvre’s facade, forced a window open, smashed display cases and then fled with the priceless Napoleonic jewels.
“The Louvre museum’s security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact,” the minister, Rachida Dati. “The Louvre museum’s security apparatus worked.”
Members of a forensic team inspect a window believed to have been used by the culprits. Pic: Reuters
‘A wound for all of us’
Ms Dati said she had launched an administrative inquiry, in addition to the police investigation, to ensure full transparency into what happened.
She described the heist as a painful injury for France, saying it was “a wound for all of us”.
“Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the world’s largest museum. It’s a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony.”
Read more:
How ‘one of the biggest manhunts in French history’ is unfolding
What will happen to the stolen jewellery?
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‘Matter of time’ before gang hit Louvre
Cameras ‘all around the Louvre’
On Monday, France’s interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said the museum’s alarm was triggered when the thieves forced the window of the Apollo Gallery.
Police officers arrived at the site two or three minutes after they were called by an individual who witnessed the scene, he said on LCI TV.
Officials said the heist lasted less than eight minutes, including less than four minutes inside the Louvre.
Read more:
The stolen items revealed
Workers ‘repeatedly warned of security shortcomings’
Mr Nunez did not disclose details about video surveillance cameras that may have filmed the thieves around and in the museum, pending a police investigation.
“There are cameras all around the Louvre,” he said.
According to officials, eight items were stolen during the heist:
• A tiara from the set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
• A necklace from the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
• A single earring, from the pair belonging to the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
• An emerald necklace from the Empress Marie Louise set
• A pair of emerald earrings from the Empress Marie Louise set
• A brooch known as the “reliquary brooch”
• The tiara of Empress Eugenie
• A large corsage bow brooch of Empress Eugenie
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