Putin ally admits to Russian interference in US elections

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Russia has interfered in U.S. elections and “will continue to” do so.
• Prigozhin, an ally to President Vladimir Putin, has previously been accused of sponsoring “troll farms” that seek to influence American politics.
• White House officials dismissed his comments, however, saying that he’s simply sowing distrust in U.S. elections.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and ally to President Vladimir Putin, admitted to past, present, and future interference in U.S. elections on Monday, the eve of the midterm elections.

His Concord catering firm’s press service shared his comments on VKontakte, a Russian social media platform.

Prigozhin stated, “We have interfered (in U.S. elections), we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do.”

He added, “During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once.”

The businessman is often called “Putin’s chef” because of his catering company’s Kremlin contracts. He has been one of the figures accused by the U.S. of attempting to influence U.S. politics by sponsoring “troll farms” that spread disinformation.

The White House also dismissed his remarks, saying he’s merely sowing discord and distrust in the U.S. elections.

Prigozhin was among those hit by sanctions from the U.S., the U.K., and the European Union. In July, the U.S. State Department offered up to $10 million in reward for information on Prigozhin’s connection with “U.S. election interference.”

In September, he admitted to the founding of the Kremlin-aligned mercenary firm Wagner Group, which operates in Africa, Syria, and Ukraine. His admission came after he previously sued journalists who reported his connection to the firm.

Russian politics professor Sam Greene of King’s College in London said that Russian trolls and bots could be trying to influence Americans regarding their views on Ukraine.

Green wrote, “(The aim is) to get the (Republican) base clamoring for a drawdown in U.S. support for Ukraine.” He noted, however, that it could be “a tall order,” adding, “Half want to bash Biden for supporting Ukraine, the other half for not supporting Ukraine enough.”

Russia hopes to end U.S. support for Ukraine, but foreign policy experts close to the Kremlin do not expect that the midterm elections will shift to Russia’s favor. Even if President Joe Biden loses control of Congress and Republicans oppose continuing military aid, lawmakers will still likely approve such a package before newly elected Congress members take office.

Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, remarked, “There is likely to be more tricky and prolonged negotiations (over the aid). Perhaps such aid will be a bit less frequent. But essentially the consensus view is that Russia should be weakened as much as possible by supporting Ukraine.”

Source: Reuters