Nov. 7 (UPI) — Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy Russian businessman and close ally to President Vladimir Putin, admitted on Monday that Moscow has interfered in U.S. elections — and will continue to do so.
Prigozhin, the founder of the mercenary military organization Wagner Group, made the admission while responding to a reporter’s questions on social media about a Bloomberg report about the interference.
“Gentlemen, we interfered,” Prigozhin said on social media. “We interfere and we will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how. During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once.”
In 2020, the Trump administration sanctioned a network of eight people and seven companies linked to Prigozhin.
“Yevgeniy Prigozhin has an international network of supporters to spread his malign political and economic influence around the globe,” then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at the time. “The United States will continue to target the ability of Prigozhin to conduct operations globally.”
Known as “Putin’s chef” because of his catering business, Prigozhin admitted in September to being the founder of the Wagner Group, a private military company that has provided frontline support for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
News of Prigozhin’s admission comes on the eve of the midterm elections in the United State where the control of the House and Senate hangs in the balance. Biden, who has been a staunch foe of Putin during the Ukrainian war, could have his agenda severely hampered if the GOP wins one or both branches of the body.
