Russian oligarch says he was behind Wagner

In 2014, Yevgeny Prigozhin, one of Russia's most elusive oligarchs, admitted to being the founder of the private military company known as Wagner, reversing years of denials about his connection to the shadowy outfit.

Prigozhin is so close to the Kremlin that he is known as Russian President Vladimir Putin's chef. Prigozhin released a statement on Monday via his company Concord, which began by saying Let s go briefly over the origins. In a lengthy, colorful statement he went on to say that the 2014 Russian-backed separatist movements in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine were the catalyst for its founding.

Prigozhin claimed that he personally cleaned the old weapons, figured out the bulletproof vests and found specialists who could help me with this. A group of patriots was born on May 1, 2014, from that moment. CNN has been following Wagner mercenaries in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Ukraine and Syria. They have developed a particularly gruesome reputation over the years and have been linked to various human rights abuses.

In the year 2019 a CNN team gained access to a Wagner training base in the Central African Republic.

Prigozhin has denied links to the Wagner group for years. He has filed court cases against Russian media outlets that had investigated him, and belittled journalists who questioned him.

In September, videos started to appear on the internet with a man appearing to be Prigozhin promising clemency to prisoners for six months of military service and speaking to military commanders.

Asked why he has now ceased to deny his involvement with the Wagner group, Prigozhin said: For a long time I avoided the blows of many opponents with one main goal so as not to frame up these guys fighters who are the basis of Russian patriotism. Prigozhin was accused of trying to undermine the 2016 US presidential election after being sanctioned by the United States for his role in running a troll factory.

Even though mercenary activity in Russia is technically illegal, observers say Wagner has often acted as an unofficial arm of Russian foreign policy.