Putin's Ally And Mercenary Leader Prigozhin Generated $250M From His Sanctioned Empire In 4 Years Before Ukraine Invasion

Vladimir Putin's ally, the Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin generated $250 million in revenues from his sanctioned business. 

What Happened: Prigozhin, who is the founder of the Wagner Group helping Russian advances in Ukraine, earned more than a quarter of a billion dollars from his empire in the four years before Putin invaded Kyiv, Financial Times reported citing corporate records.

The report noted that despite years of western sanctions against Prigozhin, his empire, which ranges from oil to gas and diamond to gold extraction, saw millions of dollars flowing in. Prigozhin's Wagner has been accused of human rights abuses, including murdering, torturing and rape, in almost every country it has operated in.

It said the money made from Prigozhin's mercenary-backed businesses in countries such as Sudan and Syria since 2018 has helped Putin's ally emerge as a powerful warlord in Russia's war against Ukraine.

See Also: Putin's Wagner Mercenaries Allegedly Kill Another Russian Defector With A Sledgehammer, Post Horrifying Video Online

The publication analyzed the accounts of Wagner mercenary-backed companies that have been sanctioned by the U.S., E.U. and the U.K. for being controlled by the Russian business magnate, as well as the unsanctioned companies revealed in leaked legal documents.

However, it excluded Prigozhin's domestic Russian catering and real estate businesses that have received large state contracts and account for a major chunk of his fortune.

Meanwhile, recent reports have indicated that Putin is becoming increasingly concerned about the growing political clout of the mercenary group's chief. Amid growing dissent from the Kremlin, Moscow has advised state media to stop mentioning Prigozhin or Wagner by name.

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