Yevgeny Prigozhin is a Russian oligarch with a $1 billion fortune. Yevgeny Prigozhin is well-known for his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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He is the CEO of the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organisation, and a number of companies accused of interfering in US elections in 2016 and 2018.
Following his release from prison in 1990, Prigozhin and his stepfather established a lucrative network of hog dog joints. He also began investing, purchasing a 15% stake in a Contrast grocery store franchise. Prigozhin went on to expand his operations into the entertainment hospitality industry, co-founding St. Petersburg’s first casinos.
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Credit…Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
He founded Concord Management and Consulting in 1995, which owns and operates Concord Catering and a number of restaurants. Prigozhin and Contrast director Kiril Ziminov opened the restaurant Old Customs House the same year.
Two years later, the couple opened New Island, a floating restaurant inspired by the waterfront restaurants of Paris. Prigozhin personally served food to political leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Jacques Chirac there.
Prigozhin’s operations, which are inextricably linked to Russia’s Ministry of Defence and the GRU, have resulted in international sanctions and criminal charges in the United States.
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