The founder of the Wagner paramilitary group has been accused of interfering in American elections for several years, most notably the 2016 presidential election.
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Posted on 7/11/2022 3:00 PM Updated on 7/11/2022 3:28 PM
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A Russian businessman close to the Kremlin, Evguéni Prigoyine, admitted to “meddling” in the American elections on Monday, November 7, on the eve of a key midterm election in the United States. “We do it and we will continue to do it. Meticulous, precise, surgical, in our unique way,” paramilitary squad leader Wagner was quoted as saying in a social media post by his Concord Company.
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The comments came in response to a question about allegations of Russian interference in Tuesday’s elections in the United States, closely followed by Moscow over the crisis it has played against Washington since it began its offensive in Ukraine. Evguéni Prigojine, the subject of American and European sanctions, has been accused for several years of interfering in American elections, particularly during the 2016 presidential election.
In particular, he is accused of creating a “troll farm”, false profiles operated on social networks in order to influence voters, for example by denigrating candidates or disseminating false information. Mr. Prigoyine, who was said to be close to Vladimir Putin, was for a time one of the suppliers to the Kremlin’s kitchens, earning him the nickname “Putin’s chef.”
The once-discreet businessman is increasingly asserting himself as a public figure in Russia, multiplying appearances in support of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. At the end of September, Evguéni Prigojine notably acknowledged having created the Wagner paramilitary group in 2014 to fight in Ukraine and acknowledged its presence in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America in particular. For years, this paramilitary group has been suspected of secretly carrying out the basic work of the Kremlin in various theaters of war, which Moscow and the person concerned have always denied.