Moscow: Vladimir Putin is facing what looks to be a serious rebellion.
Russian mercenary group Wagner has reportedly taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities — Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. And Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the paramilitary group, has vowed to “go to the end” to topple the Russian military leadership.
Who is this 62-year-old man challenging the mighty Putin?
A native of St Petersburg, Prigozhin was a hotdog seller who rose from a modest background to become part of an inner circle close to Putin.
Convicted of fraud and theft, Prigozhin was in prison for nearly 10 years during the Soviet era.
Once he was free, Prigozhin started a fast-food company in the 1990s, which was moderately successful.
He then opened a luxury resort in St Petersburg, with Putin being one of his esteemed customers.
He worked in the KGB before shifting to local politics, and was called ‘Putin’s chef’.
After dismissing allegations that he was linked with Wagner, Prigozhin finally admitted in 2021 that he had founded the mercenary group and began a mass recruitment drive at Russia’s prisons for foot soldiers to fight in exchange for amnesty, reported AFP.
In September 2022, he admitted to founding the fighting force and opened its headquarters in St Petersburg.
Before Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine 16 months ago, Prigozhin sent mercenaries from his private force to conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, but denied his involvement.
Known to have amassed a vast fortune thanks to lucrative state contracts, Prigozhin took an increasingly visible role in the Ukraine war, especially after regular Russian troops suffered humiliating setbacks and lost territory.
The conflict with KGB started when Prigozhin accused Russian military of trying to “steal” victories from Wagner and slammed bureaucratic Moscow for grinding progress on the ground.
He also blamed Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other senior officials for his fighters’ deaths, alleging that Moscow had not provided sufficient ammunition.
He has been locked in a bitter power struggle with the Defence ministry as his forces spearheaded costly battles for limited gains in eastern Ukraine.
