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Legislation on sanctions against Russian businessman Prigozhin presented to Congress

Press service of the House Foreign Affairs Committee headed by Engel also said USA must work with European Union partners to encourage them to take similar steps

Russian businessman Evgeni Prigozhin Mikail Metzel/TASS

Russian businessman Evgeni Prigozhin

© Mikail Metzel/TASS

WASHINGTON, June 13. /TASS/. US lawmaker Eliot Engel has presented a legislation calling for tougher sanctions against Russian businessman Evgeni Prigozhin to Congress, press service of the House Foreign Affairs Committee headed by Engel said on Friday.

"We must impose additional sanctions against Prigozhin and the tools he continues to use to undermine American interests, and work with our European Union partners to encourage them to take similar steps," Engel said, cited in the press release.

In February 2018, the US Department of Justice indicted Prigozhin and the staff of the Russian Internet Research Agency for alleged interfering in the 2016 US presidential election. According to the version of the US side, Prigozhin’s companies, including Concord Management and Consulting, funded the Internet Research Agency.

On March 16, 2020, the Washington federal court upheld the prosecutor's motion to terminate the process.

Prigozhin demanded on March 19, 2020 that criminal proceedings be initiated against former US President Barack Obama, as well as a number of US congressmen, senators and officials because of the illegal prosecution of his Concord company and him personally. The businessman’s letter to US Attorney General William Barr was published by the Concord’s press service on Thursday.

Russian authorities have repeatedly rejected allegations of attempts to influence the course of US elections.

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Ukrainian army strikes own surrendering soldiers — POW

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The source denied news media reports on the subject, which appeared earlier

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"Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Vladimirovich Ivanov was detained on suspicion of committing a crime under part 6, article 290 of the Russian Criminal Code," the Russian Investigative Committee said

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A day earlier, Abu Ubaidah, a spokesman for the Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam military wing, threatened that hostages held in the Gaza Strip could repeat the fate of Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who was kidnapped 36 years ago

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Russian President said in an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel journalist Pavel Zarubin

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