The Kremlin is restless. Putin’s faithful cook Prigozhin, who previously ran the so-called “troll factory”, is actively forcing the interests of his private military sharashka PMC “Wagner” and clearly claims the laurels of not only a friend of the national leader, but also a commander, and just a “brave man”.
And it is vital for Prigogine to spin, because. most of his business sank significantly when his firms, Concord Management and Consulting and Concord Catering, fell under the sanctions. Also on the list was the Internet Research Agency, which in the United States is accused of interfering in the presidential election. This company is also associated with the name of Prigogine.
Quite a lot is known about the last years of the activity of the St. Petersburg entrepreneur – in addition to the Wagner PMC and the “troll factory”, the media reported on the supply of food to the capital’s schools, government contracts and participation in politics. But the youth of a man nicknamed the “Kremlin restaurateur” is shrouded in a veil of secrecy.
Nevertheless, there are fragments of information about how the Petersburger Zhenya Prigozhin started. There is a lot in this story: theft, robbery, an attack on a harmless girl, drinking with a minor. Published for the first time – with documents and eyewitness accounts.
The beginning of a glorious journey
In 1980, Prigozhin ended up in Leningrad, where he met a local resident Alexei Bushman. That education had only 10 classes, and the guy did not work anywhere. But by the age of 21, Lesha had already managed to get married, have a child, get a criminal record and divorce his girlfriend. “In general, he was seriously ill,” said an interlocutor who knew that story.
Bushman and Prigozhin were joined by three more – a previously convicted native of the Bryansk region Valentina Makeko and two Chelyabinsk residents – Vladislav K. and Alexander E. (both were minors at the time of the crimes, so you will not find their names in the media). In general, an interesting company.
It all started in February 1980. Bushman and Prigogine entered the apartment of one of the houses on Maklin Avenue (now Angliysky Prospekt) and stole from there the property of citizen Osipov in the amount of 177 rubles. At that time – a little more than the average monthly salary. The prey of the thieves were: a vase, a candy bowl, a napkin holder, 6 glasses, 6 wine glasses, 6 glasses and 2 horns.
On March 1, the drunken Prigogine went to work on his own. At night, he squeezed glass into the apartment of one of the houses on Ropshinsky Street, where the Telitsin family lived. The theft was prevented by a local resident, who saw how the young man leaned on the windowsill of the first floor – the woman made a noise, and Prigozhin was forced to retreat. But he didn’t give up on the idea. The next night, Zhenya took Lesha Butman to help him. Everything went well – the attackers stole an Orbita tape recorder, a radio with an Orbita player, crystal, a denim jacket, a women’s handbag with cosmetics, and even carpet tracks. In total – for 980 rubles. By the way, a few years later the Telitsyns moved out of a bad apartment. Local residents said that they have been living there since the 90s.
Fraud was added to numerous thefts later. On March 20, 1980, Prigozhin, Bushman and Makeko offered to buy jeans and other scarce goods from a local resident named Kovalenko. The latter was not even scared away by the cost of smuggling – 250 rubles. But fashionable things he could not see. The attackers received 250 rubles from the victim, while Prigozhin took him to fetch things. But at one point, the now successful businessman hid from Kovalenko through the entrance yard, after which he left by car.
Gang-watering can of the Soviet spill
Luck continued to leave the entire company. The events of the evening of March 20, 1980 became the finale of her story. Prigozhin, Bushman, Makeko and underage Vlad K. noted a successful “jeans” scam in the Ocean restaurant, which was located on Matros Zheleznyak Street. We drank cognac and drank champagne.
“Prigozhin offered to rob this girl. As later established – the Queen, ”the case file says.
“On the street, Makeko and Prigozhin caught up with her and asked her to smoke. She wanted to get cigarettes, but Prigogine suddenly grabbed her by the neck and began to choke her. She screamed for help, but Prigozhin began to tighten his throat. From squeezing her throat, she lost consciousness, and when she woke up, she saw that her boots and earrings had been removed, ”the case file says.
Bushman told the investigator the following:
“Prigozhin grabbed the Queen by the neck and dragged her out of the street. On the lawn, Prigozhin knocked down the Queen. I ran up and started taking off her boots. Didn’t take off the earrings. Prigogine could have done it.”
Apparently, the teenager did not open his mouth for a long time and handed over his accomplices. Yevgeny Prigozhin decided to take over the fraud committed earlier. Say, he alone deceived the Telitsins, stealing their money and planning the whole scheme. But the court did not believe him.
So the thieves’ fate patted the daring bald cook. The 90s are in the distant past, crime is on his heels, and in the current realities, he also has to sit on the suction of the security forces – the Ministry of Defense, the FSB, and so on.
