Russian media threatened after report on 'Putin's chef'

Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin is said to have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. So close, in fact, that he is known as "Putin's chef" because he has catered state dinners, a presidential birthday party, and owns companies that provide meals for schools and the Russian military. In recent times, he has featured prominently in the Russian media, including in the independent investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which reported that Prigozhin was seen attending talks between Russian and Libyan military leadership on November 9.

Novaya Gazeta has extensively reported on Prigozhin, whose activities are suspected to extend far outside the culinary arts. He reportedly runs a troll factory in Saint Petersburg, which churns out disinformation and propaganda designed to discredit the West. Prigozhin, who has been sanctioned by the United States, has also allegedly taken action against Russian dissidents and individuals who are disliked by the regime.

In mid-October, Novaya Gazeta reporter Denis Korotkov published a piece quoting a former colleague of Prigozhin's, who claimed the oligarch had tasked him with spying on his enemies and faking a traffic accident to gain an advantage in a real estate dispute. The sources also said Prigozhin organized the poisoning of a blogger.

Intimidation tactics

On the morning the article was published, a funeral wreath dedicated to Korotkov was found outside Novaya Gazeta's Moscow offices. After publication, a severed goat's head was discovered, with a note addressed to the paper's chief editor and Korotkov. Several caged sheep were later found outside the newspaper's headquarters — some of the animals wore vests bearing the publication's name in what appeared to be a clear sign that somebody was trying to intimidate Korotkov and Novaya Gazeta to stop them reporting on Prigozhin.

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But the paper and its reporters are determined not be cowed into silence. Despite ongoing threats, Novaya Gazeta has published a further interview that Korotkov conducted with yet another former Prigozhin colleague in which the source confirmed allegations made against his ex-boss.

Asked whether he has considered leaving Russia for safety reasons, Korotkov told DW: "I live in Russia and have no plans to move." He said he preferred threats like these to "other provocations, like getting mugged or unexpectedly meeting someone on the staircase." Even so, he is well aware of the danger he faces.

Russia's RIA FAN news agency, which is said to be close to Prigozhin, labeled the journalist a traitor who has given aid to terrorists and who ought to be jailed. And social media is awash with vitriol directed against Korotkov. There are calls for him to be hanged, while others demand he change his reporting. But Korotkov says he won't let that get to him: "I guess that's just part of the job."

The Wagner private military company

Korotkov only began working for Novaya Gazeta in September this year. Before that, he wrote for Fontanka, an online news platform based in Saint Petersburg. It was in this capacity that Korotkov together with Fontanka revealed how the Wagner private military company — allegedly run by Prigozhin — conducted various secret illegal operations. Prigozhin, however, does not speak to the media and has never commented on these reports.

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Korotkov has a large network of sources he relies on for his reporting and claims to possess 2,000 data sheets of Wagner recruits. The private army is said to have 3,000 soldiers in its employ. Their fighters are said to have been active in Ukraine's Donbass region. Now, however, the private army is reportedly active in Africa. Russia has signed an agreement to dispatch "military advisers" to the Central African Republic, and some suspect they could in fact be Wagner fighters. The Kremlin did not provide further details when asked by DW.

According to Korotkov, Wagner mercenaries are also active in Sudan, South Sudan and Madagascar.