Asked by Russian media about the new interference in the midterm elections, Prigozhin replied: We are interfering and we will intervene. Carefully, precisely, surgically, and the way we know it, our own way. ”
His comments were published by the press service of Russian social media platform VKontakte.
“Pinpoint surgery removes both the kidney and the liver at once,” Prigogine said.
Prigogine’s provocative remarks made the day before the US election day were impossible to verify. The US government cyber agency says it has nearly neutralized Russian troll farms in the ensuing election cycle.
Major social media platforms have also become much more vigilant about cracking down on questionable content, but Elon Musk’s recent large-scale layoffs on Twitter meant the company had to properly manage content ahead of Tuesday’s vote. It raises questions about whether we can continue to monitor.
Whether Prigozhin’s statement was true or just disinformation intended to warn the US, Putin and his supporters believe that Russia is dominated and hegemony by the US. Putin and his allies say Russia is fighting the United States and other NATO countries in Ukraine, saying Putin accused the West of prolonging the war started by
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Monday that Prigozhin likely had the approval of the Russian leader before making the allegations public. “His bold confession seems more like an indication of the impunity enjoyed by crooks and cronies under Putin and the Kremlin,” Price said.
Russia is also using its disinformation, power in energy markets and control over Ukraine’s food exports to shatter Western ties over its support for Ukraine. The Kremlin’s main purpose is to undermine Western democracy by promoting far-right candidates, targeting centrists, and spreading divisive rhetoric online.
Given that there are hundreds of candidates on the ballot in all 50 states, affecting the overall outcome of midterm congressional elections is more complex than head-to-head presidential elections. But individual parliamentary elections in small districts and individual states can be vulnerable to outside interference.
The Treasury Department sanctioned Prigozin in March 2018 for interfering in the 2016 elections and again in 2019 for interfering in the 2018 parliamentary elections. In both cases, the agency cited his role in funding Troll Farm, an Internet research institute in St. Petersburg.
The United Kingdom and the European Union have also imposed sanctions on Prigogine.
The oligarch, who made his fortune through Russian government catering contracts that included kindergartens, schools and the military, is known as “Putin’s Chef.”
He also runs the FAN news agency, which promotes his agenda including attacks on his political opponents and praise for his own projects, such as his push to Africa in recent years, and in return the dictatorship of the continent. for access to resources.
Prigozhin, who has denied ties to the Wagner mercenary group for years, has spent recent months personally detaining fighters in Russian prisons despite the fact that the mercenary group is illegal under Russian law. and has openly acknowledged its affiliation with the civilian militia.
Wagner’s mercenaries have been trying for months to push Ukrainian forces out of Bakhmut, Ukraine, but have failed to take the city.
Bloomberg News reports that social media analytics firm Grafica has found that a Russian political interference network linked to an internet research agency is involved in a new political intervention, fueling right-wing conspiracy theories and mediation against Democratic candidates. It reportedly aims to disrupt the electoral race.
The latest US sanctions against Prigogine came into effect in July. This was done in connection with Prigogine’s “Project Lakhta”. This is a disinformation campaign he funded targeting audiences in the US, Europe and Ukraine. According to the Treasury Department, Project Lakhta is spending tens of millions of dollars to fund troll farms and other malicious influence mechanisms.
According to the Treasury Department, “Since at least 2014, Project Lakhta has used a fictitious online persona posing as an American to interfere in US elections, among other things.
Grafica reported that in August and September, Russian networks made “direct attempts to undermine support for Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York and Ohio.” The primary vehicle was the release of political caricatures, which were “almost certainly meant to go viral”.
“The network consists of a series of fake personas on alternative technology platforms popular with far-right online audiences in the United States, such as Gab, Parler, Gettr, and the discussion forum patriots.win. They routinely spread inflammatory narratives about sensitive cultural and political issues in the United States, including gun control, racial injustice, and child sexual abuse allegations. criticized,” the Grafica report said.
The network person also shared screenshots of right-wing media articles and social media posts with inflammatory political comments, the report notes.
According to the report, the internet research agency Online Troll has been linked to Georgia Sen. It targeted Democratic candidates, including Mann and Ohio Senate candidate Tim Ryan. — Racist or inflammatory content.
In a new development, the account also played into Russia’s war on Ukraine, promoting the false Kremlin narrative that Ukraine was a Nazi state, and that the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine hurt America’s living standards. suggests.
However, Graphika reports that its latest campaign achieved minimal online traction.
Prigogine’s political currency rose in the Kremlin because of his role in the war that not only sent Wagner into battle, but also established the People’s Defense Group on Russian territory near the Ukrainian border.
At the same time, Prigozhin has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the Russian military over its failure and withdrawal from Ukraine. He recently took out his anger on Putin on the issue, according to two US officials familiar with the matter. The exchange was included in the daily intelligence briefing provided to President Biden. Prigogine denied talking to Putin.
