Thread by @Jack_Mrgln

Prigozhin’s family has played an important role in his business empire, live extravagantly off the proceeds of his crimes. Great piece by @MilesMJohnson on the family of Wagner Group’s corporate ringmaster. Thread of highlights.

1/

ft.com/content/03137d…

Very good description of Wagner: “does not exist as a single incorporated entity, but instead as a sprawling network of interacting companies w varying degrees of proximity to Prigozhin’s Concord Group.” It’s a little less than a 400 companies by my last count.

2/

Prigozhin’s mother Violeta has served in roles on his companies & he used her info to bypass due diligence checks of UK law firm. She runs Color of Life gallery where she exhibits her work, including a painting of Palmyra, the ancient Syrian city that Wagner captured twice.

3/

Apart from her previous role as shareholder of Concord Mgmt, her gallery is also audited by Accent, a firm w five employees that also audits “almost all of Prigozhin’s companies.”

4/

theins10.press/news/261274

Violeta and her husband, Prigozhin’s late stepfather Samuil Zharkoy, have supported Prigozhin’s endeavors since his youth. Zharkoi was Prigozhin’s partner in his first food businesses, and Violeta helped with accounting.

5/

gorod-812.ru/evgeniy-prigoz…

Prigozhin’s youngest daughter Veronika competes in show jumping in Europe - contrary to Prigozhin’s criticisms of “elites who take holidays abroad.” She participated in a competition in Spain four days before the invasion of Ukraine.

6/

She and Polina, Prigozhin’s elder daughter, have competed in hundreds of events across Europe since 2014. The horses ridden by Veronika and Polina are reportedly owned by Polina.

7/

Almost all of these horses registered to the Ru equestrian federation under other people’s names after Prigozhin’s property was sanctioned in 2019.

8/

Bonus picture of Prigozhin and fam, with Prigozhin rocking a shirt with Shoigu and Putin on it. Funny to see given his attitude towards Shoigu these days.

9/

Pavel, Prigozhin’s son, is usually who he cites as his claim to being different from other Russian elites - he has fought with Wagner etc. Here he is kitted out, allegedly near Donbas, though Telegram channels claim this was in St Petersburg.

10/

Pavel is the beneficiary of Lakhta Park Premium, which owns a large house in St Petersburg (the fancy Lakhta area). A company owned by the wife of Wagner namesake Dmitry Utkin is registered at this same address. dossier.center/utkin/

11/

All of Prigozhin’s immediate family have played roles on companies within his network that enable Wagner and its abuses, domestic and international corruption, political interference around the world, and more. They live very comfortably thanks to him.

12/

They have had their ability to travel freely in Europe limited since the invasion, but I would wager they most likely still hold assets abroad. They should have been sanctioned earlier, and the lifting of sanctions on Prigozhin’s mother is misguided.

/end