How Prigozhin rose from ‘Putin’s chef’ to rebel Wagner chief

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was once hard to find, has now become a vocal critic of Russia's military and Putin himself. This has led to a violent confrontation between the two as "mutiny" rages in Russia, The Sun reported. 

The oligarch is currently in military battledress and has declared an "armed rebellion" against Russia, which has drawn the attention of the world. The Wagner uprising was triggered after a missile attack by Russia hit their training camp in Bakhmut, killing dozens.

Following Prigozhin's orders, the Wagner group seized a Russian military HQ in Rostov-on-Don, and possibly military facilities in the city of Voronezh, vowing to take the fight to Moscow. Putin has condemned the move as "treason" and "mutiny," calling it "a knife in the back of our people."

This person, who has been called "Putin's favourite chef," has been working hard to achieve a more prominent position in the Kremlin. 

Experts have predicted that he has his sights set on the top job. Colonel Hamish de Bretton Gordon told The Sun Online last month that "Prigozhin seems to have the gloves off at the moment. 

And in an almost Roman-type way, he has an army that could march into the Kremlin and take over." This statement almost foretold the current events.

His rise to power seems to have everything to do with his ambition and murky past, which he conducted in the backrooms of the Kremlin while riding the waves of Putin's favour. 

Once a gangster, he is now one of Russia's most powerful men, with a private army of over 50,000 men stationed in Ukraine alone, and a fortune that is believed to be worth millions, if not billions. 

The paid killer group he founded in 2014 acts as a de facto militia in some of Ukraine's bloodiest battles and is equal in strength to a quarter of Russia's entire army. 

As Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Prigozhin stepped out of the shadows to wage war on Ukraine with his private military outlet, taking the leading role in the bloody battle for Bakhmut.

Kremlin power battle 

Prigozhin's reckless behaviour has become more brazen as he ramps up his attacks on senior Russian military leadership and makes veiled threats against Putin himself. He then took full credit for Russia's alleged capture of Bakhmut, ignoring the role of any Russian forces in the battle. 

Despite defying the Russian propaganda machine, Prigozhin has exposed the country's issues on the battlefield time and time again. 

This week, he claimed that Putin is being lied to by Russia's military top brass about "colossal" Russian battlefield failures in Ukraine and warned that the head of Russia's army, Valery Gerasimov, and the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, are downplaying the threat posed by Ukraine's counteroffensive.

Rise of the warlord 

Prigozhin's journey to power began in 1981 when he was charged with robbery and assault and sent to penal colonies in Soviet Russia. After his release, he started selling hot dogs on the streets of St. Petersburg and eventually opened a convenience store and chain of restaurants while involved in organized crime. 

After meeting Putin in 2001, Prigozhin's catering company received lucrative state contracts to feed Russia's schools and military. He amassed great wealth, leading a lavish lifestyle, and was accused of meddling in the US 2016 elections by bankrolling Russian propaganda-pumping troll farms, landing him on the FBI's "most wanted" list.

"The war in Ukraine changed everything," according to Dr Huseyn Aliyev, an expert on Russia and the conflict in Ukraine. Prigozhin emerged from the shadows to assert his claims, becoming one of the typical Putin-era power brokers, and one of the few survivors of the upper echelons of Putin's inner circle. 

He has pushed himself to the front and proved capable of pushing forward with Russia's offensive, just as Putin is disillusioned by his generals. Prigozhin's long play for power has been obvious and risky, moving up the ranks by criticizing senior generals and building up his own reputation. 

Bill Browder, an investor and enemy of Putin, believes Prigozhin will seize power, as he is not someone who would respect power. Prigozhin is carving his place into the Putin regime, and it's remarkable that they allow him to say such things against Putin. He's defying everything, and his defiance has now reached new levels as Wagner groups storm two Russian cities and Putin demands his arrest.

The Wagner empire

The Wagner Group, led by Prigozhin, has become notorious for its haunting black insignia and continues to commit atrocities across Ukraine. Prigozhin cut his teeth with the Wagner Group first in Crimea in 2014 and then in murky proxy wars throughout Africa and the Middle East, collecting accusations of war crimes and gross human rights abuses from the UN. 

Damning messages and photos have recently shown the chilling reach of the Wagner Group and their terrifying ambitions for a new Russian empire. Encrypted channels on messaging app Telegram supported accusations that Wagner has been active in Africa and Asia, and hints they could be operating in Asia and Latin America. 

However, as Wagner stages their current rebellion in Russia, Putin has brandished them "criminals" committing "treason," while Prigozhin has called his forces "patriots" of Russia.

General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command, has blasted Prigozhin as "crazy" for his attempted armed uprising, which will deal a major "psychological blow" to Putin. General Barrons doubted that Wagner will be able to seize Moscow, but the more important impact is the massive "fracture" it ripped open in the Russian military and political leadership.