Yevgeny Prigozhin is dead, but his mercenary empire lives on. His son has expanded the family business in the Central African Republic, WSJ reports.

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   Prigozhin's Son Expands Wagner Empire in Central Africa

   Pavel Prigozhin maintains control over Wagner Group fighters and operations in the Central African Republic following the death of his father, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a 2023 plane crash. The 28-year-old heir commands approximately 500 mercenaries and oversees an operation generating more than $400 million annually. The enterprise spans gold mining concessions, arms trading, alcohol production, propaganda efforts, and tramadol trafficking. Despite Moscow's efforts to absorb Wagner forces into the Ministry of Defense's Africa Corps, local authorities in the Central African Republic have resisted the Kremlin takeover, allowing the family business to persist and expand.

   Why it matters

   The Wagner Group gained global notoriety during Russia's invasion of Ukraine and expanded aggressively across Africa. Following Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed military mutiny against Moscow, his fatal plane crash in Russia's Tver region appeared to dismantle the private military network. Russian state structures subsequently created the Africa Corps to subsume these foreign assets under military intelligence. However, the younger Prigozhin has managed to retain an independent power base through local alliances in Central Africa.

   What is confirmed

   • Pavel Prigozhin, the 28-year-old son of Yevgeny Prigozhin, has expanded operations in the Central African Republic following his father's death.
   • Yevgeny Prigozhin died in an August 23, 2023, plane crash in Russia's Tver region following an armed mutiny against the Russian military establishment.
   • The Russian Ministry of Defense and military intelligence created the Africa Corps to subsume Wagner's global architecture into state structures.
   • The Central African Republic has resisted Moscow's Africa Corps takeover, preserving Wagner's security role and lucrative mining concessions.
   • Wagner operations under the younger Prigozhin in the Central African Republic span gold mining, arms trading, alcohol production, propaganda, and tramadol trafficking.

   Still unconfirmed

   • Pavel Prigozhin maintains close international ties with Belarus as part of his continued network.

   What to watch next

   • Efforts by the Russian Ministry of Defense to assert direct command over remaining Wagner units in Africa
   • Potential changes in the security relationship between the Central African Republic government and the Wagner Group
   • Financial and operational impacts of local criminal investigations or accusations of abuse against the mercenary force
   Sources used for this update (14)

   1. WSJ — The Playboy Who Inherited the World’s Most Notorious Mercenary Force
   2. NDTV — Gold, Guns, Drugs, Mercenaries: Inside A 28-Year-Old Russian's Empire
   3. Meduza — Yevgeny Prigozhin is dead, but his mercenary empire lives on. His son has expanded the family business in the Central African Republic, WSJ reports.
   4. Kyiv Post — Prigozhin’s Son Keeps Wagner’s $400M Empire Alive in CAR Despite Kremlin Takeover Push
   5. GZERO Media — Warlord Jr. carries on the family business in Russia
   6. meduza.io — Yevgeny Prigozhin is dead, but his mercenary empire lives on ...
   7. www.kyivpost.com — 500 Wagner Fighters, $400M a Year – Prigozhin’s Son Holds On ...
   8. news.sbs.co.kr — Wagner Still Thriving Despite Prigozhin's Death; 28-Year-Old ...
   9. united24media.com — Prigozhin’s Son Expands Wagner Gold, Arms and Drug Operations ...
   10. www.wireisrael.com — How Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Son Inherited and Expanded the Wagner ...
   11. theworld.org — The Playboy millionaire in charge of a mercenary force
   12. www.kabakinotes.com — THE MERCENARY HEIR: Pavel Prigozhin, Wagner's African Empire ...
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