Russia has received one of the biggest threats since its invasion of Ukraine, as the chief of the mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has vowed to take every step to topple the leadership of the Russian military. This threat comes just after the Kremlin accused him of armed rebellion.One of the most important questions is who is Yevgeny Prigozhin and what is Wagner Here are some points which can tell about him and his mercenary group.5 Points on Yevgeny Prigozhin:Yevgeny was born in 1961 in Russia. He is a high-profile, provocative mercenary leader, who has known Russian President Vladimir Putin since the 1990s. Interestingly, he was his political rising star in Russia during the Ukraine war.Prigozhin and the Russian President shared the same hometown, St Petersburg. In 1879, when he was 18-year-old, he received his first criminal conviction and was sentenced to two-and-a-half-year imprisonment. After two years, he was then sentenced to 13 years in jail for robbery and theft and several other cases charged against him.As per the media reports, after was released, Prigozhin set up a chain of stalls selling hot dogs. In some time, he was then able to open a brand new expensive restaurant in St Petersburg. It was there that he began mixing with the high-profile personalities of St Petersburg and then with the Russians.Prigozhin also used those vital connections to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts. He was known as “Putins chef.” Later, he expanded his business in other areas, including media and the infamous internet – Troll Factory, which led to his indictment in the US for meddling in the presidential polls in 2016.In January this year, he acknowledged founding, leading, and financing the shadowy private mercenary company Wagner, an organisation that has worked alongside the Russian army during the countrys invasion of Ukraine. Notably, western countries and UN experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali. 5 points on the mercenary group – Wagner:Prigozhins Wagner Group, officially known as PMC Wagner, is a private military organisation owned and financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin himself.The mercenary group was first identified in 2014 when it was backing pro-Russian separatist forces in Ukraine East. At that time, it was a secretive organisation that was operating from Africa and the Middle East, said media reports. Also, back then it has almost 5,000 fighters from Russias elite regiments and special forces.Despite that, in January 2023, the UK Ministry of Defense informed that the group led by Prigozhin consists of 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign. The ministry said that the organisation even started recruiting in large numbers in 2022 because Russia had trouble finding people for the regular army. About 80% of Wagners members in Ukraine have been drawn from prisons, the UN National Security Council said.In Russia, mercenary forces are said to be illegal, however, Prigozhins group registered as a company in 2022 and opened its new headquarters in St Petersburg. The war helped the group to grow its influence. As per the media reports, the group was involved in Russias capture of Bakhmut City in Eastern Ukraine. The group is named after its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. The group has established a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness. Several western countries and UN experts have even accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights abuses throughout Africa, including the Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali.
