A look at the 62-year-old Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner’s role in the war.
aimed at ousting Russia’s defence minister. Russian security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Riot police and the National Guard have been scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported.Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault in 1981, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Following his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. It was in this capacity that he got to know now-President Vladimir Putin, then the city’s deputy mayor.
Wagner personnel also deployed to Syria, where Russia supported President Bashar Assad’s government in a civil war. In Libya, they fought alongside forces of commander Khalifa Hifter. The group has also operated in the Central African Republic and Mali. Video has surfaced purporting to show some of the activities that have contributed to Wagner’s fearsome reputation.
He said he had 50,000 men at his disposal “in the best times,” with about 35,000 on the front lines at all times. He didn’t say whether these numbers included convicts.
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