From Kremlin Caterer to Fiercest Rival, Putin vs Prigozhin's Feud Timeline

Troops loyal to Yevgeny Prigozhin—a former ally of Russia's President, Vladmir Putin, who has turned deadly rival—have seized military sites around the Russian cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, and are reportedly advancing on Moscow in a heavily armed convoy.

Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group which has been heavily involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has urged compatriots to join his "march for justice" after rebelling against the authority of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces chief Valery Gerasimov.

In an address on Saturday morning, Putin accused Wagner of a "stab in the back" on the Russian state, adding: "Those who have organized an armed rebellion will be held accountable."

Ukrainian forces are just weeks into a counteroffensive, aimed at retaking their territory from Moscow, which has so far achieved limited success. By causing chaos behind Russian lines, the Wagner rebellion could help Kyiv achieve the breakthrough it needs.

Newsweek has provided a summary of Prigozhin's rise and his rapidly changing relationship with Putin, formerly his chief benefactor.

From Prisoner to 'Putin's Chef'

Prigozhin was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, in 1961. After failing to become a cross-country skier, he turned to crime, conducting a series of robberies, including one in 1981 when he chocked a woman unconscious, according to court documents seen by British newspaper The Guardian. Soon after, he was arrested and sentenced to 13 years in prison, of which he served nine.

After being freed, as the Soviet Union crumbled around him, Prigozhin began his business career selling hot dogs. He had a talent for business, and by 1995 owned part of a supermarket chain and had opened a number of luxury restaurants.

One of these restaurants, New Island in St. Petersburg, became a favored haunt of Vladimir Putin, at the time a former KGB agent who became an increasingly powerful figure in the city's politics. After being elected president in 2000, Putin continued to frequent the eatery, sometimes being accompanied by foreign dignitaries such as former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

Putin began favoring Concord, a catering company founded by Prigozhin, for major contracts, earning him the nickname "Putin's chef."

Wagner Group

In 2014, following regime change in Kyiv, Russian troops seized Crimea, and began supporting an uprising by pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine. That year, the mercenary group Wagner was founded with Dmitriy Utkin, a Russian army veteran, serving as its leader.

Prigozhin initially denied involvement, even suing media groups such as Bellingcat which alleged he was involved, but in 2022 he admitted founding Wagner.

In a social media post, he commented: "I cleaned the old weapons myself, sorted out the bulletproof vests myself and found specialists who could help me with this. From that moment, on 1 May 2014, a group of patriots was born, which later came to be called the Wagner Battalion."

While mercenary groups are technically illegal in Russia, Wagner clearly received state favor, and spread to become a global force. The group became involved in the Syrian civil war, backing Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad, along with actions in a number of African countries, including the Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan.

Involvement in Ukraine

When Putin launched his all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Wagner soon became involved as Russian troops were pushed back from Kyiv and fought to a virtual standstill further east.

Wagner began recruiting heavily, particularly from Russian prisons, with British intelligence estimating the group achieved a strength of 50,000.

As Russia's regular army became bogged down, Wagner achieved a number of victories, seizing several towns in late 2022 and early 2023, including Soledar and most of Bakhmut. The group relied heavily on former prisoners to conduct the attacks.

However, Prigozhin became increasingly critical of the Russian military leadership, accusing them of deliberately failing to adequately supply his forces and of general incompetence.

Very active on social media platform Telegram, in May Prigozhin said Ukrainian weapons "kill our soldiers, while a happy grandpa thinks that everything is going well for him." Grandfather is a frequently used Russian nickname for Putin, though Prigozhin later insisted he was referring to an unnamed general, The Guardian reported.

When Wagner began its rebellion on Friday, Prigozhin initially held off criticizing Putin directly, but this changed after the president branded his actions a betrayal in a TV address. In a statement posted on Telegram, Wagner said: "Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him...soon Russia will have a new president."