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https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-russian-army-falters-in-ukraine-paramilitary-leader-close-to-putin-flexes-power-11668258001
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, is using his force’s battlefield presence to gain sway with the Kremlin
For years, Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin supported President Vladimir Putin’s foreign military interventions from the shadows with his Wagner paramilitary group.
Now, the man known as “Putin’s chef” for his Kremlin-linked catering business is leveraging his fighters’ prominence on the battlefield to boost his influence over the military and in the Kremlin. Analysts say Wagner’s expanded role exposes the haplessness of Russia’s war effort.