Pavel Prigozhin

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 (or in 1996, according to other sources) 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.

On 1 October 2023, the contents of Yevgeny Prigozhin's 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".

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 Saint Petersburg.