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Prigozhin oversees the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization backed by the Russian armed forces that arose in the wake of Russia’s initial attack on Ukraine in 2014. Wagner Group fighters have become notorious for the trail of blood they left in conflict zones across the world. In their brutal defense of the Assad regime in Syria, Prigozhin’s mercenaries cemented their reputation as Putin’s dark enforcers, carrying out missions the Russian army will not conduct openly — or cannot do at all.
Many of OCCRP’s previous “people of the year” were leaders of nations — Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko was last year’s choice, and previous winners have included former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro — but Prigozhin has never held any kind of official position.
Louise Shelley, one of this year’s judges and an expert on illicit financial flows at George Mason University, had this to say: “Prigozhin represents a new type of winner. Not a national leader, but a corrupt individual capable of instigating terrorism and massive human rights violations in diverse conflicts around the world.”
Award finalists this year include the European Court of Justice, for its recent ruling that shut down public access to company ownership data — a key tool for exposing corruption and financial crimes like money laundering. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega were also finalists.
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