Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Prigozhin founded the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, around 2014. The group operated in Ukraine, Syria, Africa, and other regions, often conducting covert operations in support of Russian foreign policy.

Prigozhin's Wagner Group deployed forces to Syria in 2015 to support the Assad government. They fought alongside Russian regular forces, participating in battles such as the Palmyra offensive and the Deir ez-Zor campaign.

Prigozhin was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in February 2018 for conspiracy to defraud the United States and interfere with the 2016 presidential election. He was accused of funding the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm.

In June 2023, Prigozhin led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military, seizing the city of Rostov-on-Don and advancing towards Moscow. The rebellion ended after a negotiated settlement with the Kremlin, but it exposed divisions within the Russian state.

Prigozhin died in a plane crash in Tver Oblast, Russia, in August 2023, two months after his rebellion. The crash killed all ten people on board, including Wagner commanders. The cause remains disputed, with speculation of foul play.