Former President George W. Bush joked this week that he "survived" former Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin – once nicknamed "Putin's chef" – serving him dinner.
Bush, appearing at the Yalta European Strategy annual conference, recalled meeting Prigozhin at the Group of Eight summit in July 2006 in St. Petersburg, Russia, after being asked about his recent death.
At the summit, one moderator inquired if he was shocked to hear that Prigozhin died in a plane crash late last month.
"No," Bush replied. "What was shocking to me was I saw a picture the other day of a G8 summit in St. Petersburg where he was the guy serving me the food. He was Putin's chef, and he was in the picture. And somebody said, 'Well, you remember him?' And I said, 'No, all I know is I survived.'"
Prigozhin was not always the head of one of the world's most notorious private military groups. In the 1990s, he ran a restaurant in St. Petersburg that was popular with Kremlin officials, including Putin.
His catering services became a favorite of the Russian leader and allowed him to develop the funds and connections to start the Wagner Group in 2014, which quickly became a central player in the Ukraine conflict.
Eventually, Prigozhin had a falling out with Putin, leading him to posture for a march on Moscow before heading back. He reportedly struck a deal with the Kremlin at the time, allegedly ensuring his safety.
But the unlikely military leader was one of 10 people who died months later in the suspicious plane crash over Russia, which media outlets have speculated could be related to the attempted mutiny.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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