Head of Putin’s mercenaries admits he meddles in foreign elections and threatens: “We will continue”

Russian businessman Evgeny Prigogine He admitted to meddling this Monday United States Elections And it is the first acknowledgment of a person formally singled out by Washington in an attempt to influence US policy, which will continue into the future.

In comments published by the press service of his company Concord Catering on the Russian social network VKontaktelike Facebook, Prigozhin said: “We interfered (in the US elections), we interfere, we will continue to interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, we know how to do it.

This comment was published yesterday US midterm electionsIn response to a request for comment from a Russian news site.

“During our particular surgery, we remove both kidneys and the liver at the same time,” he said. Prigogine. He did not elaborate on the implied concept.

Prigozhin, commonly known as “Putin’s Chef” Because his catering company has contracts with the Kremlin, he has been accused of funding Russia-based “troll farms” that sought to influence American politics.

In July, the US Department of State Rewarded up to 10 million dollars For information on Prigozhin regarding “Participation in Election Intervention in the United States.” has been material Obstacles By America, United Kingdom And this European union.

Prigozhin has kept a low public profile until recently, but has been very outspoken during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, even criticizing the actions of Russian commanders.

In September he admitted to founding the mercenary force Wagner group, aligned with the Kremlin maintaining operations in Syria, Africa and Ukraine. Last Friday he opened a defense technology center in St. Petersburg, another step for Prigozhin to boost his military credentials.

Prigozhin reports come one at a time US investigators have uncovered new Russian efforts to influence public opinion ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.

The goal is to stoke anger among conservative voters to destroy confidence In the American electoral system. This time, it also seems intent on undermining the Biden administration’s extensive military aid to Ukraine. The New York Times.

Russian propaganda — using accounts posing as angry Americans — has added fuel to the political and cultural issues that divide the country today.

It has targeted Democratic candidates in hotly contested races, including Senate seats Controversial Ohio, Arizona and PennsylvaniaRepublican majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives count on helping the Russian war effort.

Last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cybersecurity and Security Agency The infrastructure issued a warning warning about the threat of misinformation spread by “dark web media channels, online diaries, messaging apps, fake websites, emails, text messages and fake people”. Misrepresentations include claims that voting data or results have been hacked or compromised.

The agencies have urged citizens not to like, comment or share online posts from unknown or untrusted sources. They did not identify specific efforts, but researchers monitoring social media sites and misinformation have recently been various Russian, Chinese and Iranian campaigns.

(With information from Reuters)

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