Featured BiographyImage source: StarsUnfolded
Quick Info
Date of birth1 June 1961
Age62 Years (as of 2022)
BirthplaceLeningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
ProfessionOligarch; Mercenary Chief; Businessman
NationalityRussian
Marital statusMarried
SpouseLyubov Valentinovna Prigozhina
FamilySon - Pavel Prigozhin; Daughters - Polina Prigozhina, Veronika Prigozhina; Mother - Violetta Prigozhina; Step-father - Samuil Fridmanovich Zharkoi; Father - deceased
Yevgeny Prigozhin Biography
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin is a Russian businessman and oligarch known for building a catering and services empire, founding the Internet Research Army,
Early life and backgroundYevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin was born on 1 June 1961 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. He grew up in a family where his mother worked at a local hospital and his stepfather was a ski instructor; his father died when he was young. Prigozhin trained as a skier in his youth and completed his education at Leningrad Sports Boarding School No. 62. He later attended the Leningrad Chemical and Pharmaceutical Institute. During his college years he also worked as a fitness instructor at a sports school for children.
Prigozhin’s early adulthood included criminal convictions for theft and related offences. He was first caught stealing in 1979 and received a suspended sentence; a later conviction in 1981 for robbery, fraud and involving teenagers in criminal activities resulted in a lengthy prison sentence. He was pardoned in 1988 and released in 1990.
Career
After his release from custody, Prigozhin and his family sold hotdogs at the Apraksin Dvor market in Leningrad. In the 1990s he entered the grocery business and held a 15% stake and managerial role in Contrast, a Saint Petersburg grocery chain founded by a former classmate. He also worked in other commercial ventures including construction, foreign trade and market research, and later moved into the restaurant trade.
Prigozhin opened his first restaurant, Old Customs House, in Saint Petersburg, followed by New Island in 1997. His restaurants served high-profile guests over the years, and he developed closer ties with political figures during the 2000s. He eventually separated from earlier partners and expanded his own restaurant holdings.
From catering and hospitality, Prigozhin built a broader business network. One of his companies, Concord Catering, won large government food contracts, including a contract to supply meals to the Russian military. He controlled and financed a cluster of companies that included Concord Management and Consulting and the Internet Research Agency (IRA). Those entities were accused of online influence operations aimed at foreign political events; Prigozhin later acknowledged founding and managing the IRA and described its purpose as protecting the Russian information space from what he characterized as hostile foreign narratives.
In the 2010s Prigozhin’s activities expanded outside Russia. He developed business links in Africa, including mining projects in the Lobaye prefecture of the Central African Republic and associations with private military forces that have operated on the continent.
Awards and recognition
In 2022 Prigozhin received several honors, including the title Hero of the Russian Federation and honors from the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
Public profile
Prigozhin has been widely described in public records as an oligarch, businessman and the founder of the Internet Research Agency. He has been the subject of criminal allegations and official sanctions by foreign governments. The U.S. Treasury and other authorities have imposed sanctions on companies linked to him, and U.S. authorities have alleged his involvement in interference with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. A U.S. grand jury indicted him and associated companies for activities related to election interference; some related legal actions were later dismissed against certain corporate defendants. The FBI listed him as wanted in 2021 and has offered rewards for information linked to his alleged activities.
Prigozhin has publicly acknowledged the IRA’s role in interfering in U.S. elections and has spoken openly about such operations. In the period following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, U.S. and EU measures extended visa restrictions, asset freezes and designations against entities and individuals associated with disinformation and other operations.
Personal life
Prigozhin is married to Lyubov Valentinovna Prigozhina, a pharmacist and businesswoman. The couple have three children: a son, Pavel, and two daughters, Polina and Veronika; Polina is noted as an equestrian. His mother is named Violetta Prigozhina and his stepfather Samuil Fridmanovich Zharkoi was a ski instructor. Physical details recorded in public sources list his height at approximately 168 cm and brown eyes.
Later developments and controversies
Prigozhin’s network of companies and the activities they were accused of attracted sustained reporting, sanctions and legal scrutiny through the late 2010s and early 2020s. His businesses have been linked in public reporting to contract work for Russian state institutions and to operations abroad. Journalists investigating related activities in the Central African Republic were killed in 2018 while reporting on mining operations connected in public records to entities associated with the business network tied to Prigozhin.
Latest updates
Public records through 2023 record Prigozhin as a high-profile and controversial figure involved in commerce, information operations and private security-related activities. He has received state honors in 2022 and faced international sanctions and indictments in relation to alleged interference in other countries’ political processes and other accusations of corruption.
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Recent Work
Founded and managed an organization accused of online influence operations and disinformation campaigns tied to foreign political events.
2010sCompany that won large food service contracts for schools, government employees and the Russian military, including a large military catering contract.
2010s-2020sCareer Highlights
- Built a catering and restaurant business that secured major government food contracts
- Founded and financed the Internet Research Agency, an organization accused of online influence operations
- Expanded business interests into Africa, including mining activities
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was Yevgeny Prigozhin born?
Yevgeny Prigozhin was born on 1 June 1961.
What is Yevgeny Prigozhin known for?
Yevgeny Prigozhin is known for oligarch; Mercenary Chief; Businessman.
What is Yevgeny Prigozhin’s marital status?
Yevgeny Prigozhin's marital status is listed as Married.
Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin married to?
Yevgeny Prigozhin is publicly listed as married to Lyubov Valentinovna Prigozhina.
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