“We have been involved in it, we are still involved in it and we will continue to do so. Very focused, with surgical precision and in our own way, as only we can,” Prigozhin said in a statement distributed by his company Concord. “With our precise procedures, we will remove both the kidneys and liver at once,” he boasted.
Prigozhin, also known as “Putin’s cook” for his former role as a caterer for the Kremlin, responded to reports that his “troll army” is trying to thwart Democrats in Tuesday’s US Congressional election.
Russian internet trolls have recently been busy spreading negative messages about President Joe Biden and the Democrats via right-wing websites, according to Graphika, a US research firm that analyzes social media. They mainly focused on crucial states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. According to the researchers, these did not have much effect, but according to Graphika the campaign clearly bore the stamp of Prigozhin’s ‘troll factory’ in St. Petersburg. He was also behind a covert internet campaign to divide the United States and put Donald Trump in the saddle during the 2016 election campaign.
mask off
In this connection, Prigozhin and his so-called Internet Research Agency were indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into Russia’s role in the election. The US Justice Department later dropped the charges, saying there was no chance Prigozhin would ever appear in court. In addition, the judiciary would then have to disclose information about secret investigative methods during the trial, even if the trial is conducted in absentia.
Prigozhin has denied the allegations against him for years. He even enlisted expensive US and British law firms to challenge the allegations. But since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he has dropped his mask.
Prigozhin also recently admitted that he is the boss of the Wagner Group, the mercenary army that has been operating as a shadow army for the Kremlin for years, including in Syria, Libya and a number of African countries. Prigozhin’s mercenaries, including prisoners from Russian penal camps, now play a major role in Russian efforts to take control of the city of Bachmut, in eastern Ukraine.
troll army
With the revelation that his army of trolls is indeed behind the fueling of the US election, Prigozhin seems to want to stoke the fire even higher. Many Americans already seem to have doubts about the course of the elections.
At the same time, Prigozhin wants to show in his own country that his company is a serious player in the field of cyber warfare. Last week, the Wagner boss opened a brand new business center in St. Petersburg for IT specialists and defense start-ups. Apparently he wants to expand his business empire’s activities in that area too, hoping to win more orders from the Kremlin.