The Playboy Who Inherited the World’s Most Notorious Mercenary Force - WSJ
archive.today webpage capture Saved from history←priornext→ 22 Oct 2026 02:21:50 UTC All snapshots from host www.wsj.com WebpageScreenshot sharedownload .zipreport bug or abuseBuy me a coffee The Wall Street Journal WORLD AFRICA The Playboy Who Inherited the World’s Most Notorious Mercenary Force The son of Wagner Group’s late founder hangs on to an African stronghold, making a fortune from guns, drugs and gold Pavel Prigozhin in an undated photo. By Nicholas Bariyo Oct. 17, 2026 9:00 pm ET KAMPALA, Uganda—Pavel Prigozhin was still learning the family guns-for-hire business when his father’s private jet exploded 28,000 feet over Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s very public death, following his very public falling-out with President Vladimir Putin, left his son, Pavel, in charge of the world’s most notorious mercenary force. At age 25, he inherited Wagner Group, an empire of gunfighters, gold smugglers, opioid dealers, brewers and vodka distillers. Once seen as a pampered playboy, he t