The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information about interference in the US election by Russian businessman "Putinʼs chef" Yevgeny Prigozhin, his "Internet Research Agency" ("troll factory") and related people and organizations.
"They knowingly and willfully conspired to harm the United States by disrupting, obstructing, and destroying the lawful functions of the state through fraud and deception to interfere in the political and electoral processes of the United States, including the 2016 presidential election," the statement said.
The Internet Research Agency is a Russian organization owned by Prigozhin. It deals with political interference and election interference. As early as 2014, the organization began operations to interfere in the US political system, including the 2016 US presidential election, with the strategic goal of sowing discord. The organization worked through several Russian companies, including Internet Research, MediaSyntez, GlavSet, MixInfo, Azimut, and NovInfo.
In addition to the Internet Research Agency, Prigozhin sponsors the Wagner PMC mercenaries, who are also fighting in Ukraine. Prigozhin received the nickname "Putinʼs chef" because of the fact that he organizes Kremlin dinners.
- In February 2021, the FBI placed Prigozhin on the wanted list for election interference and offered a $250,000 reward. Then his company "Concord" published his address (City of St. Petersburg, Lieutenant Schmidt embankment, building 7) and demanded a reward from the FBI.