With his death in a plane crash in Russia, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin left behind a vast business empire.
Prior to his most famous business venture, the creation of the Wagner private military company, Prigozhin rose from a hot dog salesman on the streets of St. Petersburg to a powerful businessman in the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union. Spearheaded by his successful catering company, Prigozhin expanded his business empire into numerous ventures, ranging from media companies to gold mines to "troll factories."
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With his death, ownership of his business empire remains in question.
The venture that earned Prigozhin the most international attention outside of Wagner was his "troll factory" in St. Petersburg in 2013. An investigation from the Dossier Center, published in 2022, found that the "factory" is made up of over 400 separate companies, with the equivalent of millions of dollars spent between them.
The network paid dozens of bloggers and journalists to AstroTurf favorable coverage, first regarding the Russian government, then expanding in 2022 to pro-war and pro-Wagner coverage. The companies affiliated with the network would also pay journalists and bloggers for favorable coverage, which would then have a cascading effect. Among those paid by the network were pro-government bloggers with over a million followers each.
Potential employees were subject to a two-hour polygraphed interrogation, ensuring their loyalty to the government. Some employees were paid to harass Russian celebrities or social media users critical of the government, attempting to get their shows and appearances shut down.
One of the ventures from Prigozhin's media network was YaRus, described as a "patriotic alternative" to social media networks such as TikTok or Instagram.
The network resulted in the first United States sanctions leveled against Prigozhin after it accused the "troll factory" of interfering in U.S. elections.
Prigozhin's ownership of the network had already come into question after his abortive mutiny in June. With his death, the future of the network is uncertain.
Catering is the venture that skyrocketed him into the Kremlin's favor after Prigozhin secured contracts with the government. His Concord catering business remained lucrative after he shifted most of his attention to Wagner. He was also linked to a number of catering companies not under his name, such as Russockapital, which supplies food to schools and hospitals, and Verona, which caters to Moscow schools. Combined, the two made over $17 million in contracts in 2022 alone, Meduza reported.
The most visible of his business ventures, clouded in mystery before the war in Ukraine, are those linked to Wagner. While originally shy about his role in the company, fame resulting from the group's exploits in Ukraine resulted in Prigozhin embracing and expanding the business side of Wagner.
Wagner made much of its revenue from ownership of natural resources; the group often got cuts from mines or oil wells in exchange for providing protection, usually in Africa or Syria.
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Following the explosion of the company's popularity, Prigozhin sought to capitalize on the brand by expanding it into a youth club, sprawling recruitment centers, shooting ranges, a martial arts club, and more. He even produced one of the first movies on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an action movie titled Best in Hell, detailing a Wagner combat mission in Ukraine.
According to the New York Times, Prigozhin's business empire also includes sports hotels, restaurants, business centers, a gourmet grocery store, beer and vodka production, cutting timber, and more.