Putin’s Chef vs. Putin: Fight for Control
Russia's powerful mercenary group Wagner and its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched what was called a "coup" against President Vladimir Putin.
The Wagner Group is a private army of mercenaries that has been fighting alongside the regular Russian army in Ukraine. And they have now threatened to remove Vladimir Putin from power. This is a very interesting story so keep watching. Yevgeny Prigozhin was a hardened criminal and had spent many years in Russian jail. After being released from prison during the collapse of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin started a chain of food stalls selling hot dogs. Later, he opened an expensive restaurant in St. Petersburg, after which he began mingling with the high and mighty of Russia. Reportedly, Putin hosted many of the world's biggest leaders in Prigozhin's restaurant, owing to the latter's connections and popularity. When Putin came to power in 2001, Prigozhin reportedly used his connection with him to expand his catering business. He also handled the catering arrangements for the Russian army as well. Prigozhin was even nicknamed "Putin's chef" for his close proximity to the leader. Yevgeny Prigozhin founded the Wagner Group in 2014, allegedly after directions from Vladimir Putin. They are very dangerous. Taken part in many wars and has killed many people. At that time it was a secretive organisation, operating mostly in Africa and the Middle East, and is thought to have had only about 5,000 fighters - mostly veterans of Russia's elite regiments and special forces.
Since then, it has grown considerably. Wagner almost certainly now commands 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key component of the Russia-Ukraine war.In recent months, Prigozhin repeatedly accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the head of the army in Ukraine, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and of deliberately undersupplying Wagner units fighting in Ukraine. The Russian defense ministry had also issued an order for companies like Wagner to sign contracts to be formally co-opted into the regular Russian forces by the end of June. The Wagner Group was not named in the announcement, but the move is seen as an attempt by the government to gain more control over it. Prigozhin issued a furious statement declaring his forces would boycott the contracts. The confrontation started on 23 June when Prigozhin accused top Russian defence officials of having bombed Wagner troops in Ukraine, resulting in a large number of deaths. He gave no details, but a day later his troops went on to seize control of the military headquarters in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and proceeded to march to Moscow to remove the military leadership. At one point, Wagner troops were said to be getting closer to Moscow, without encountering any resistance, as President Putin ordered security to be tightened across the capital and elsewhere. However, as the dramatic escalation appeared to be heading towards possible confrontation, Prigozhin called off his troops and announced he had agreed to leave Russia, following mediation by the Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.
