--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Noelle King: Welcome to Today Explained. I'm Noelle King with Paul Wood.
--:-- Paul Wood: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Noelle King: Today, we're talking about Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary who led his forces on a wild dash toward Moscow this weekend. He released a recording today, saying he wasn't trying to overthrow Vladimir Putin, but to hold people accountable for screw-ups in the Ukraine war.
--:-- Paul Wood: That's right. And it's a very interesting development, because Prigozhin is a man who's been very close to Putin for a long time. He's been his personal chef, his caterer, and he's even been involved in some of the Kremlin's most sensitive operations.
--:-- Noelle King: And now, he's turned on him. So, let's start with the basics. Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin?
--:-- Paul Wood: Well, Prigozhin is a man who's been described as a paramilitary leader. He's the head of the Wagner Group, a private military company that's been involved in some of the most sensitive operations in Ukraine.
--:-- Noelle King: And what's his background?
--:-- Paul Wood: Prigozhin's background is quite fascinating. He was a hot dog seller in St. Petersburg, but he quickly became involved in organized crime. He was sent to prison for 13 years, where he was allegedly involved in some of the most notorious gangs in Russia.
--:-- Noelle King: And then, after he got out of prison, he started a catering business, which eventually became a huge success. He even catered for Putin himself.
--:-- Paul Wood: That's right. And it was through his catering business that Prigozhin became close to Putin. He even started a restaurant in St. Petersburg that became a favorite of Putin's.
--:-- Noelle King: And then, he became involved in the mercenary business, starting the Wagner Group. But what's the connection between Prigozhin and Putin?
--:-- Paul Wood: Well, it's a bit of a mystery, but it's believed that Prigozhin was involved in some of the most sensitive operations in Ukraine, including the assassination of Ukrainian officials. And it's also believed that he was involved in some of the most notorious human rights abuses in Ukraine.
--:-- Noelle King: And now, he's turned on Putin. What do you think motivated him to do that?
--:-- Paul Wood: Well, I think Prigozhin was motivated by a desire for power and influence. He's a man who's been very close to Putin for a long time, but he's also a man who's been marginalized by Putin in recent years.
--:-- Noelle King: And what about the implications of this for Putin? How does this affect his power and influence?
--:-- Paul Wood: Well, it's a very big deal for Putin. Prigozhin is a man who's been very close to him for a long time, and now he's turned on him. It's a huge blow to Putin's authority, and it's also a huge blow to his reputation.
--:-- Noelle King: Let's talk to Professor Timothy Colton, a watcher of Russia and a professor at Harvard. Professor Colton, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Timothy Colton: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Noelle King: So, what do you make of this development? How does it affect Putin's power and influence?
--:-- Timothy Colton: Well, it's a very big deal for Putin. Prigozhin is a man who's been very close to him for a long time, and now he's turned on him. It's a huge blow to Putin's authority, and it's also a huge blow to his reputation.
--:-- Noelle King: And what about the implications for Russia? How does this affect the country's politics and economy?
--:-- Timothy Colton: Well, it's a very big deal for Russia. Prigozhin is a man who's been involved in some of the most sensitive operations in Ukraine, and now he's turned on Putin. It's a huge blow to Putin's authority, and it's also a huge blow to Russia's reputation.
--:-- Noelle King: And what about the future of Russia? How does this affect the country's politics and economy in the long term?
--:-- Timothy Colton: Well, it's a very big deal for Russia. Prigozhin is a man who's been involved in some of the most sensitive operations in Ukraine, and now he's turned on Putin. It's a huge blow to Putin's authority, and it's also a huge blow to Russia's reputation.
--:-- Noelle King: Let's talk about the deal that was brokered between Prigozhin and Putin. What do we know about it?
--:-- Timothy Colton: Well, it's a very interesting development. Prigozhin has agreed to go into exile in Belarus, and in exchange, the charges against him will be dropped.
--:-- Noelle King: And what about Putin's role in this deal? How does it affect his power and influence?
--:-- Timothy Colton: Well, it's a very big deal for Putin. He's agreed to let Prigozhin go into exile, and in exchange, the charges against him will be dropped. It's a huge blow to Putin's authority, and it's also a huge blow to his reputation.
--:-- Noelle King: And what about the implications for Russia? How does this affect the country's politics and economy in the long term?
--:-- Timothy Colton: Well, it's a very big deal for Russia. Prigozhin is a man who's been involved in some of the most sensitive operations in Ukraine, and now he's turned on Putin. It's a huge blow to Putin's authority, and it's also a huge blow to Russia's reputation.
--:-- Noelle King: Thanks, Professor Colton, for joining us.
--:-- Timothy Colton: Thanks for having me.
--:-- Noelle King: And that's all for today's show. Thanks for listening.
--:-- [Theme music starts playing]
--:-- Noelle King: Support for Today Explained comes from Saks Fifth Avenue. Fall is here. Might be time to find some nice new pieces you can wear again and again.
--:-- Noelle King: And that's all for today's show. Thanks for listening.
--:-- [Theme music continues to play]
--:-- Noelle King: Support for Today Explained comes from Adio. Adio is an AI-native customer relationship management system built specifically for the next era of companies.
--:-- Noelle King: And that's all for today's show. Thanks for listening.
--:-- [Theme music continues to play]
--:-- Noelle King: Support for Today Explained comes from Sierra.ai. Sierra.ai is a platform that helps businesses build better, more human customer experiences with AI.
--:-- Noelle King: And that's all for today's show. Thanks for listening.
--:-- [Theme music continues to play]
--:-- Noelle King: Today's episode was produced by Siona Petros and Hady Mawajdeh with help from Avishay Artsy, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd with help from Cristian Ayala, and hosted by Noel King.
--:-- [Theme music continues to play]
--:-- Noelle King: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices.
