The Rise and Fall of Prigozhin, Explained
From hot-dog seller to Putin’s private warlord — this is the rise and fall of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man who came closer than anyone to toppling Vladimir Putin. In this episode of The Rest Is Classified, former CIA analyst David McCloskey and BBC correspondent Gordon Corera uncover how a small-time criminal built the Wagner Group, meddled in the 2016 US election, and turned mercenaries into a global empire — before dying in a fiery plane crash. What does Prigozhin’s story reveal about the Kremlin’s dark networks, Russia’s shadow wars in Africa and Syria, and the power struggles shaping the war in Ukraine? 00:00 The man who almost overthrew Putin 06:00 From prison to hot-dog empire 10:00 Putin’s favourite restaurateur 17:00 Birth of the Wagner Group 23:00 The warlord’s African gold rush 30:00 The mutiny that shook the Kremlin 44:00 The crash — and the message it sent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026! Buy your tickets to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 31 January. 🎟️ https://www.livenation.co.uk/the-rest... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ➡️ Join The Declassified Club: Start your free trial at https://therestisclassified.com - go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, quarterly livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✅ Subscribe Here: / @restisclassifiedsub_confirmation=1 🎙️ Listen To The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/triclassified -------------------------------------- 🗞️ Sign Up To The Free Newsletter Here: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tri... -------------------------------------- 📱 Follow Us On Socials: Facebook: / https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Instagram: / https://www.instagram.com/restisclass... TikTok: / / restisclassified Twitter: / https://x.com/triclassified -------------------------------------- 📩 Email: [email protected] -------------------------------------- Social Producer: Emma Jackson Producer: Becki Hills Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor
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