One of Putin’s confidants admits to meddling in the US elections

He is the first high-ranking Russian to publicly admit to meddling in US referendums. This is before the midterm elections.

Anne Catherine Hamilton / watson.de

Nobody knows how to manipulate public opinion like Russian President Vladimir Putin. As a former KGB agent, he knows the trick. Social networks in particular provide fertile ground for Putin’s propaganda. Whether it’s Facebook or Twitter, no one can escape his army of trolls and bots.

With the help of “fake accounts,” Russia can influence public sentiment in favor of the Russian government — and thus the entire election.

Putin’s confidant, Evgeny Prigozhin, admits that Russia is influencing the US elections.Screenshot: Twitter

A confidant of Putin himself admits this now – a day before the midterm elections in the United States.

Russian businessman and close to the Kremlin Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to “interfering” in the US elections. “We’ve been involved, we’re doing it and we’ll continue to do it.” Prigozhin was quoted as saying Monday in the electronic network of his company Concorde. He is the first high-profile Russian to openly admit to meddling in US elections such as the midterms.

The United States has accused Russia of meddling in the elections for years, and thus imposed sanctions on Prigozhin. Prigozhin said the intervention was carried out “carefully, delicately and surgically in a way that suits us”.

The businessman, also known as “Putin’s cook”, is accused of rigging elections in several Western countries through a “troll factory”.

Twitter is a haven for Russian trolls and Putinbots

One social network plays a particularly important role in the Russian intervention: Twitter.

Statesmen and women, scholars and journalists, among others, tweeted here. Former US President Donald Trump had more than 88 million followers worldwide. But after storming the Capitol, Twitter blocked him from the platform. The impact on this network is enormous, and the greater the responsibility of the new owner of the brand.

Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion.Photo: Cornerstone

Elon Musk has been the new owner of Twitter for a few days and is announcing big goals.

Musk wants to transform Twitter

“Twitter should become by far the most accurate source of information in the world,” Musk wrote on Twitter. That’s the job. His new rules for the platform should “democratize journalism and strengthen the people’s voice.”

Among other things, Musk wants to require users of the SMS service to verify their accounts. Fun will now cost eight dollars a month.

According to him, every name change results in the temporary loss of the verified tick. Also, from now on, all manipulations on Twitter that engage in impersonation will be permanently banned.

Will these and Musk’s next actions disarm Russian trolls on Twitter? The truth is, Twitter takeover causes mayhem: For every second position deleted. Musk had previously fired the executive floor and the board of directors.

Experts are worried. How should the platform be monitored if a large number of employees have to leave? And now, it’s so close to the US midterm elections and Russia’s candid admission that it’s dipping its toe in election affairs.

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