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==Criminal charges== |
==Criminal charges== |
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On February |
On February 16, 2018, Prigozhin was indicted by a U.S. grand jury, which charged him with funding and organizing operations targeting the United States for the purpose of [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|interference with the U.S. political and electoral processes]], including the [[United States elections, 2016|2016 U.S. Presidential Election]]. |
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<ref>{{cite news|title=Indictment document|url=https://www.justice.gov/file/1035477/download|accessdate=16 February 2018}}</ref> |
<ref>{{cite news|title=Indictment document|url=https://www.justice.gov/file/1035477/download|accessdate=16 February 2018}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 00:31, 17 February 2018
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (Russian: Евгений Викторович Пригожин; born 1961) is a Russian businessman with deep ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin.[1] Prigozhin is dubbed "Putin’s chef" by the media due to his restaurants and catering businesses that host dinners between Vladimir Putin and foreign dignitaries.[2]
Early life
Prigozhin was born in Leningrad, now called Saint Petersburg, into a Jewish family in 1961. He graduated from an athletics boarding school in 1977 and tried to become a ski racer, but ultimately failed. Just after he turned 18, in 1979, he was given a suspended sentence for stealing. In 1981 however, he was charged with committing robbery as part of a criminal organization, fraud, and involving children in prostitution. For these crimes, he was sentenced to twelve years in prison, but only served nine.
Restaurant career
In 1990, after his release, he and his stepfather set up a network to sell hot dogs.[3] Soon, according to him, 'the rubles were piling up faster than his mother could count them.'[4] He also became the manager of and 15% stakeholder in "Contrast," started by Boris Spektr, a classmate from his boarding school, which was the first grocery store chain in Saint Petersburg. In 1995, when revenues began to fall, Prigozhin convinced a director at "Contrast," Kiril Ziminov, to open a restaraunt with him. The two opened the "Old Customs House" (Russian: Старая Таможня), which was one of the first elite restaurants in Saint Petersburg. In 1997, inspired by waterfront restaraunts on the Seine in Paris, Prigozhin and Ziminov spent $400,000 remodeling a rusting boat on the Vyatka River and started the floating restaurant "New Island," which quickly became one of the most fashionable dining spots in Saint Petersburg.[3][4] According to him, his patrons "wanted to see something new in their lives and were tired of just eating cutlets with vodka." In 2001, Prigozhin personally served food to Vladimir Putin and French president Jacques Chirac when they dined at "New Island", and US President George W. Bush in 2002. In 2003, Putin celebrated his birthday at "New Island."[4] By 2003, Prigozhin had left his business partners and established his own independent restaurants. The Anti-Corruption Foundation accused Prigozhin of corrupt business practices; his illegal wealth estimated to be worth more than 1 billion rubles.[5]
Criminal charges
On February 16, 2018, Prigozhin was indicted by a U.S. grand jury, which charged him with funding and organizing operations targeting the United States for the purpose of interference with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. [6]
Business activities
Concord holding company
In 2014, according to Russian media, Internet Research Ltd. (Russian: ООО «Интернет исследования»), founded in March 2014, joined the agency's activity. Novaya Gazeta newspaper claim this company to be a successor of Internet Research Agency Ltd. Internet Research Ltd. is considered to be linked to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, head of the holding company Concord. The "Trolls of Olgino" from Saint Petersburg are considered to be his project. As of October 2014, the company belonged to Mikhail Bystrov, who had been the head of the police station at Moscow district of Saint Petersburg.
Russian media point out that according to documents, published by hackers from Anonymous International, Concord is directly involved with trolling administration through the agency. Researchers cite e-mail correspondence, in which Concord gives instructions to trolls and receives reports on accomplished work. According to journalists' information, Concord organized banquets in Kremlin and also cooperated with Voentorg and the Russian Ministry of Defence.[7]
References
- ^ "Navalny asks FSB to investigate Putin's cook". Crime Russia. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Thousands of Russian private contractors fighting in Syria". AP News. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Evgeny Prigozhin's right to be forgotten: What does Vladimir Putin's favorite chef want to hide from the Internet?". Meduza. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
- ^ a b c MacFarquhar, Neil (2018-02-16). "Meet Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian Oligarch Indicted in U.S. Election Interference". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
- ^ Он повар Путина. Он тролль Путина. Он миллиардер. (He is the Putin's cook. He is the Putin's troll. He is a billionaire.)
- ^ "Indictment document". Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^ Victor Ryezunkov (2015-03-16). ""Кремлівські тролі" розповіли про себе: де сидять і чим займаються" ['The Kremlin trolls' tell me where they sit and what they do]. Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2016-06-12.