🧵- Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin (Putin's Chef)?
In 1981, a court in Leningrad sentenced him to 12 years for his connections to organized crime. The charges included robbery, fraud, & most disturbingly, the prostitution of minors
He served 9 years
1/11
Upon his release in '90, Prigozhin cornered the hotdog/sausage market in Leningrad (St Petersburg) - seriously
This coincided w/ Putin's exit from the KGB & ascension to the role of advisor to the Mayor Leningrad, Sobchak
Likely where Prigozhin & Putin first crossed paths
2/11
Prigozhin either raised or 'found' the funding to open the high-end Old Customs House restaurant
Soon after he converted an old boat on the Vyatka River into the exclusive New Island restaurant - where Putin hosted French Pres Jacques Chirac in '01 and G. W. Bush in '02
3/11
Prigozhin made close connections with Sobchak's bodyguard Viktor Zolotov who is now director of the Rosgvardiya & Putin's former security Roman Tsepov who was assassinated in '04 via radiation poisoning after a visit to an FSB office
Prigozhin was now legit by RUS standards
4/11
Prigozhin leveraged his connections with Putin & the Siloviki to win lucrative contracts - starting with education catering & his Concord Culinary facility, which was financed by the state-owned Vnesheconombank
This was quickly followed by MoD catering contracts.
5/11
He continued to work his way further into the RUS security apparatus
Note: he is the only civilian in the first picture. His organized crime history & lack of experience lead to ill-will w/ MoD
His military contracts take funding from MoD & elevated him to oligarch class
6/11
The creation of Wagner Group is often credited to Demitri Utkin after their 1st actions in Ukrain in '14
After Wagner challenged US forces in '18 in Syria & suffered heavy losses, US intercepts showed Prigozhin was the one calling the shots
He was Wagner's owner/funding
7/11
Since then, Prigozhin's ties have only become more obvious
As for Utkin, no one seems to know where he is. Last we heard was '17 when he was awarded a role in Prigozhin's Concord org
Prigozhin appeared in the Donbas on 4/22 & again in Popasna just a few days ago...
8/11
But, as the Russians have found out - time and time again - media appearances are generally a bad idea on the frontlines of Ukraine
9/11
As Russia struggles to mobilize & Wagner and other irregulars continue to mount losses, the groups have been forced to drop their standards & engage in more aggressive recruitment strategies.
10/11
In closing, Prigozhin is a disgusting human being. He is a sex trafficker of minors, a hotdog salesman, & a war profiteer
The US State Department is offering $10 million for his capture and he is wanted by the FBI
In short, Fuck this guy
11/11
state.gov/rewards-for-ju…
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