Prigozhin was born and raised in Leningrad (now
Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on 1 June 1961,
[21] to Violetta Prigozhina (Russian: Виолетта Пригожина).
[22][23][24] His father died early, and so his mother supported him and his sick grandmother by working at a local hospital.
[25] His father and stepfather were of Jewish descent.[26]