Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted on Monday that he had made attempts to interfere in United States elections and warned that he would continue to do so in the future.
The businessman's remarks are the first such admission from a figure who was implicated by Washington in efforts to influence American politics. Prigozhin, in comments that were posted by the press service of his Concord catering firm on Russia's Facebook counterpart, VKontakte, said that they have interfered in U.S. elections, carefully, accurately, and surgically in their own way.
Russian Interference in US Elections
The admission was also made by an individual who is seen as a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The remark was posted on the eve of the United States midterm elections. The oligarch added that during their pinpoint operations, they were able to remove "both kidneys and the liver at once."
Prigozhin, who is often referred to as "Putin's chef" because of his catering company, has been formally accused of sponsoring Russia-based "troll farms" that sought to influence U.S. politics, as per Reuters.
The US State Department in July offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on the Russian oligarch in connection with "engagement in US election interference." Prigozhin has since been hit with sanctions by the US, Britain, and the European Union.
The Russian businessman had previously served nine years in prison during the Soviet times over robbery and other crimes. That was before he went into business during the 1990s and had since kept a low public profile.
According to CNN, Prigozhin's remarks come as he has no position in the Russian government but remains an individual who has close ties to the Kremlin. The oligarch is reportedly one of Putin's trusted confidants.
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Admission of Responsibility
Despite his comments, it was not immediately clear how serious Prigozhin was with his admissions, which were seemingly made sarcastically. However, they come amid a flurry of sanctions over several issues, including the official funding of the Internet Research Agency.
The agency is a notorious Russian troll farm that is allegedly responsible for interfering in several recent elections in the United States. The Russian businessman was also charged with conspiracy to defraud the US in 2018 by special counsel Robert Mueller in relation to the alleged election meddling.
Since at least 2016, the Kremlin has been accused of interfering in US elections after Russia-linked hackers successfully gained access to emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The documents were also released during the final stages of the campaign to embarrass the Democratic nominee at the time.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Prigozhin's comments "do not tell us anything new or surprising." She added that it was well known and well documented in the public domain that entities linked with Prigozhin have sought to influence elections worldwide.
Jean-Pierre noted that the Russian oligarch's actions have prompted various authorities from around the world to issue sanctions against him, NPR reported.
