Putin-linked businessman admits interference in US elections

Kremlin-linked entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted on Monday that he has interfered in the US election and will continue to do so, confirming for the first time charges he has denied in years.

“We have interfered, are interfering and will continue to interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way,” Prigozhin said in comments posted on social media.

The statement, from the press office of his catering company which earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef”, came on the eve of the US midterm elections in response to a request for comment.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

It was the second major admission in recent months by the 61-year-old businessman, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin has previously sought to keep his activities under the radar and now seems increasingly interested in gaining political clout although his goal in doing so was not immediately clear.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that Prigozhins’ comments tell us nothing new or surprising.

It is well known and well documented in the public domain that entities associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin have sought to influence elections around the world, including in the United States. The United States has worked to expose and counter Russia’s malign influence efforts as we discover them, she said, noting that Yevgeny has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Part of Russia’s efforts includes promoting narratives aimed at undermining democracy and sowing division and discord. It is no surprise that Russia shines a light on their attempted efforts and fabricates a story about their successes on the eve of an election, she added.

In September, Prigozhin also publicly stated that he was behind the mercenary force of the Wagner Group, which he had also previously denied and spoke openly about his involvement in the 8-month Russian war in Ukraine. The military contractor has also sent its forces to places like Syria and sub-Saharan Africa.

A video also emerged recently of a man resembling Prigozhin visiting Russian penal colonies to recruit prisoners to fight in Ukraine.

In 2018, Prigozhin and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were accused in the United States of carrying out a secret social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord and dividing American public opinion before the 2016 presidential election won by Republican Donald Trump. They were charged as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.

The Department of Justice in 2020 decided to dismiss charges against two of the accused companies, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering, saying they had concluded that a lawsuit against a defendant company with no presence in the United States and without the prospect of meaningful punishment even if convicted would likely expose sensitive law enforcement tools and techniques.

In July, the State Department offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about Russian interference in the US election, including Prigozhin and the Internet Research Agency, the St. Petersburg that his companies were accused of financing. Prigozhin was also sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for interference in the elections.

Until now, Prigozhin had denied any Russian involvement in election interference.

Russian media, prisoners’ rights groups and prisoners’ relatives have reported this year on a massive effort by Wagner and sometimes Prigozhin personally to recruit convicts to fight in Ukraine. Prigozhin did not directly confirm this, but said in a statement that either (the Wagner private military company) and the convicts or your children will fight in the front line.

Last week, Wagner opened a business center in St. Petersburg, which Prigozhin described as a platform to boost Russia’s defense capabilities.

On Sunday, he also announced via Concord the creation of training centers for militias in the Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk, bordering Ukraine.

A resident of the neighborhood, like no one else, knows his territories, is able to fight against sabotage and reconnaissance groups and take the first hit if necessary, he said.

A former hot dog stand owner, Prigozhin opened a fancy restaurant in St. Petersburg that caught Putin’s interest. During his first term, Putin took then French President Jacques Chirac to dinner at one of the restaurants in Prigozhins.

Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business from a kiosk, he saw that I didn’t mind serving esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011.

His businesses have grown considerably. In 2010, Putin witnessed the opening of the Prigozhins school lunch factory, built with generous loans from a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord has won multi-million dollar contracts to supply meals to public schools. Prigozhin also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years and provided catering and utility services to the Russian military.

When fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Kyiv forces in 2014, Prigozhin said through his spokesperson that he was looking to form a group (of fighters) who would go (there) and defend the Russians.

Russian laws prohibit the operation of private military contractors, but state media in recent months have openly reported on Wagner’s involvement in Ukraine.

Associated Press writer Chris Megerian in Washington contributed.