Pavel Yevgenyevich Prigozhin (, born 18 June 1998) is a Russian businessman and mercenary who has led the Wagner Group since 2023. The son of prominent oligarch and mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, he succeeded his father as the leader of the Wagner Group a month and a half after the 2023 Wagner Group plane crash.

Early life

Pavel Prigozhin was born on 18 June 1998 (according to other sources - in 1996) in the family of businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. He is the middle child in the family, growing up with his sisters Polina and Veronika. The Prigozhin family avoided publicity for a long time; Yevgeny Prigozhin did not disclose details of the personal lives of his relatives. Episodes from Pavel's biography rarely appeared in the media; sometimes his father talked about him. According to Yevgeny Prigozhin, his son served in draft military service, then signed a contract with his father's company. Several photographs of Pavel in American military equipment have been published; his business trips included

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and Russian-occupied parts of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. As part of Wagner Group, he performed the functions of a reconnaissance officer and drone operator, and was awarded the Black Cross medal.

Business career

Pavel Prigozhin's entrepreneurial career started in 2018, when he became the founder of the Beta company. Gradually his business expanded, and since 2020 he has headed Lakhta Plaza. Prigozhin Jr. has connections with the Colors of Life art gallery, headed by Violetta Prigozhina, mother of Yevgeny Prigozhin. Pavel Prigozhin cooperates with the oil and gas corporation Gazprom; his companies are involved in the construction of luxury real estate in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. He is also the owner of Lakhta Park, a large housing complex.

Wagner Group leadership

On 23 August 2023, a business jet crashed near Kuzhenkino in Tver Oblast. Among the ten victims were Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, and

Valery Chekalov Valery Yevgenyevich Chekalov (; 10 January 1976 – 23 August 2023) was a Russian mercenary leader, head of logistics of the Wagner private military company, and a close confidant of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Chekalov was Wagner's " ...

, the key figures of the Wagner Group. After the crash, Wagner's leadership structure became unclear. On 1 October 2023, the contents of Yevgeny Prigozhin's

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

became known, in which he bequeathed all property to his son, Pavel Prigozhin. Pavel Prigozhin became the sole heir to his father's business. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in early October, Pavel Prigozhin took command of the Wagner Group and was negotiating with the National Guard of Russia to have the group return to combat in Ukraine. ISW said the alleged events surrounding Pavel Prigozhin indicate that "some Wagner employees are interested in rallying around a Prigozhin-linked alternative to the Kremlin and MoD-backed Andrei Troshev, even if that alternative is not an independent organization". An ISW source connected to Wagner added that the group's fighters will not have to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense and that the mercenary group will retain its name, symbols, ideology and commanders under the leadership of Pavel Prigozhin. In August 2024 rumors surfaced that Prigozhin had put a bounty of $1 million on General Valery Gerasimov.

International sanctions

On 3 March 2022, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

introduced personal sanctions against Pavel Prigozhin.

Personal life

Pavel Prigozhin is married to Yekaterina Inkina, the daughter of Sergey Inkin, a restaurateur and owner of a concert venue. The family lives in the elite village of Northern Versailles near

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prigozhin, Pavel 1998 births Living people 21st-century Russian businesspeople Businesspeople from Saint Petersburg People of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin Pro-Russian people of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian billionaires Russian restaurateurs Russian people of Jewish descent