The GuardianThe Guardian

‘He lived by the troll, he dies by the troll’: Putin takes on Prigozhin’s business empire

By Pjotr Sauer and Jason Burke

05 Jul 2023 · 4 min read

informed Summary

  1. Over three decades, Yevgeny Prigozhin built one of the world’s most shadowy and complex corporate structures that stretched far beyond his mercenary activities and included companies in media, logistics, mining, film and catering – for which he earned his nickname as Vladimir Putin’s chef.

As Wagner mercenaries captured a major Russian military base and began their armed march on Moscow, members of Russia’s federal security services stormed one of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s headquarters in St Petersburg.

Masked men quickly seized computers and documents belonging to the Patriot group, a media holding at the heart of Prigozhin’s information empire that for years promoted the warlord at home while sowing chaos and interfering with elections abroad.

Sign in to informed

  • Curated articles from premium publishers, ad-free
  • Concise Daily Briefs with quick-read summaries
  • Read, listen, save for later, or enjoy offline
  • Enjoy personalized content
Or

LoginForm.agreeToTerms