Concord Management and Consulting
Concord Management and Consulting LLC (Russian: ООО «Конкорд Менеджмент и Консалтинг») is a Saint Petersburg-based Russian holding company founded in 1997 and controlled by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, primarily managing a group of subsidiaries engaged in catering, restaurant operations, and government procurement contracts, including food services for the Kremlin that earned Prigozhin the moniker "Putin's chef."[1][2][3] The firm expanded into construction, media, and other sectors, leveraging Prigozhin's connections to secure lucrative state deals, but faced international sanctions and scrutiny for alleged ties to disinformation activities and private military operations via affiliated entities.[2][4] In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Concord for conspiracy to defraud the United States by funding the Internet Research Agency's social media operations aimed at influencing the 2016 presidential election, though the case was dismissed in 2020 before trial due to evidentiary and security challenges in prosecution.[3][5][6] Following Prigozhin's death in a 2023 plane crash, the company continues operations under new management amid ongoing sanctions.[1][7]Overview
Founding and Ownership
Concord Management and Consulting LLC (OOO "Konkord Menedzhment i Konsalting") was established on May 26, 1997, in St. Petersburg, Russia, with tax identification number (INN) 7825100880 and principal state registration number 1037843002515 (entered in the register on January 8, 2003).[8][9] The company operates as a limited liability entity focused on management and consulting services, serving as a holding structure for related businesses, including catering operations under Concord Catering.[10] It was founded by Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who built it as part of his broader commercial empire originating from post-Soviet catering contracts.[10] Prigozhin maintained primary ownership and control of Concord Management and Consulting, which formed the core of the Concord group encompassing multiple subsidiaries.[11] U.S. Treasury Department sanctions in June 2017 explicitly designated the company as owned or controlled by Prigozhin, citing its role in funding associated entities.[12] Ownership records indicate Prigozhin held direct shares in key Concord holding companies until at least 2019.[7] In November 2019, Prigozhin transferred ownership of Concord Management and Consulting and affiliated entities, though the precise recipients and structure post-transfer remain opaque in public records.[11] Prior to this, family members such as his mother, Violetta Prigozhina, were listed in some sanctions contexts as nominal owners of group assets, but Prigozhin retained effective control.[13] The company's structure emphasized layered ownership through subsidiaries to manage diverse operations, consistent with Prigozhin's business practices.[7]Primary Business Operations
Concord Management and Consulting LLC (CMC), based in St. Petersburg, Russia, functioned primarily as a holding company managing subsidiaries focused on catering, hospitality, and government procurement services. Its core operations centered on securing and executing large-scale contracts for food supply and event management, particularly with state entities. Through its subsidiary Concord Catering, CMC provided meals to public schools, hospitals, and military personnel, leveraging connections to Russian government procurement processes.[14][15] A significant portion of CMC's revenue derived from military catering contracts. Concord Catering supplied food to the Russian armed forces, including troops deployed in Ukraine, under multi-year agreements with the Ministry of Defense. In 2022 alone, these state contracts generated approximately 80 billion rubles (about $1.3 billion at contemporaneous exchange rates) for the firm, as disclosed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a June 2023 meeting with military leaders.[16][17] The company also handled logistics for high-profile state banquets and institutional feeding programs, expanding from initial school meal provisions in Moscow—where it won millions of dollars in contracts—to broader defense sector engagements.[18][19] CMC's operations emphasized efficiency in government tenders, often amid reports of competitive advantages tied to political proximity. By 2023, however, the Russian military announced plans to terminate its primary catering contract with Concord Catering, shifting to a competitor amid post-mutiny restructuring following Yevgeny Prigozhin's death. Despite such shifts, the firm's model relied on state dependency, with catering forming the backbone of its commercial activities prior to sanctions and legal challenges.[14][16]Connection to Internet Research Agency
Funding and Establishment
The Internet Research Agency LLC (IRA) was established in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2013, initially functioning as a commercial entity focused on media monitoring and advertising services. It rapidly transitioned into a hub for coordinated online influence activities, employing hundreds of staff by 2014 to generate and disseminate content across social media platforms. The agency's origins trace to earlier media projects funded by entities linked to Kremlin-aligned oligarchs, evolving from informal operations into a structured organization with departments dedicated to content creation, analytics, and IT support.[3][20] Funding for the IRA's establishment and expansion was provided by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian entrepreneur known for his catering contracts with the Russian government, through companies he controlled, including Concord Management and Consulting LLC. U.S. authorities allege that Prigozhin and Concord Management allocated substantial resources—estimated in the millions annually—to cover operational costs such as employee salaries averaging around 65,000 rubles monthly in early years, office infrastructure in the Olgino district, and technological tools for anonymous posting. Concord Management, founded by Prigozhin in 1995 and involved in diverse business ventures, served as a primary financial conduit, transferring funds to the IRA without direct public acknowledgment of the connection. Prigozhin publicly confirmed his role in founding the IRA in February 2023, shortly before his death.[21][3][22] By mid-2014, the IRA's budget had scaled significantly, supporting over 1,000 employees and international operations, with monthly expenditures exceeding $1.25 million by September 2016 to sustain propaganda efforts targeting multiple countries, including the United States. These funds enabled the procurement of servers, proxy networks, and false personas for operatives, masking the Russian origin of activities. While Prigozhin denied direct ties in initial responses to indictments, internal IRA communications referenced "our funder" in ways consistent with his involvement, as detailed in unsealed U.S. legal documents.[23][21]Organizational Structure and Activities
The Internet Research Agency (IRA) maintained a hierarchical structure with specialized departments dedicated to online operations, evolving from a modest operation in mid-2014 to employing hundreds of personnel by 2016.[24] Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Russia, the entity was directed by general director Mikhail Bystrov and executive director Mikhail Burchik, under the umbrella of Project Lakhta.[24] Key subdivisions included the Translator Department, which by early 2016 comprised 11 employees tasked with adapting content for international audiences, encompassing sub-units for social media platforms, analytics, graphics design, and information technology support.[24] A dedicated U.S.-policy department, led by Dzheykhun Aslanov, focused on American-targeted initiatives, supported by roles such as content creators of fictitious personas, IT administrators, graphic artists, search engine specialists, and data analysts.[24] Operational activities centered on generating and disseminating disinformation through managed social media accounts impersonating U.S. persons, aiming to provoke societal discord and influence electoral processes.[24] Employees produced thousands of posts daily across platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, often promoting polarizing narratives on topics like immigration, race relations, and gun rights to both support Donald Trump and undermine Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.[24] The IRA purchased approximately 3,500 advertisements on Facebook for about $100,000, reaching an estimated 126 million users, while operating 3,814 Twitter accounts that engaged over 1.4 million individuals.[24] Beyond digital efforts, staff coordinated on-the-ground events, such as pro-Trump rallies in cities like New York and Florida, using fake personas to recruit participants and fabricate grassroots support.[24] These operations relied on technical infrastructure for anonymity, including VPNs and proxy servers, with personnel working in shifts to sustain continuous output—up to 2,000 posts per day in peak periods.[24] Named operatives like Anna Bogacheva and Aleksandra Krylova traveled to the U.S. in 2014 under false professional pretenses to gather intelligence on political organizing tactics.[24] The structure emphasized scalability, with administrative oversight ensuring alignment with strategic goals of foreign influence, funded through entities like Concord Management and Consulting.[24]Alleged Involvement in Foreign Influence Operations
2016 U.S. Presidential Election Efforts
Concord Management and Consulting LLC, a St. Petersburg-based firm controlled by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, served as the primary financial backer for the Internet Research Agency (IRA), funding its social media influence operations targeting the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[3][2] Prigozhin, through Concord and its subsidiary Concord Catering, channeled funds disguised as payments for software support via approximately 14 bank accounts held by Concord affiliates.[21] By September 2016, the IRA's monthly budget for these efforts under "Project Lakhta" exceeded 73 million Russian rubles, equivalent to over $1.25 million USD, including bonuses for operatives.[21] The funded operations, which began in 2014 with U.S. reconnaissance but escalated in early 2016 to explicitly favor Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton, involved creating fictitious U.S. personas to disseminate divisive content on social media platforms.[25] IRA employees posed as American activists, organizing real-world events such as pro-Trump rallies in Florida in August 2016 and Pennsylvania in October 2016, where they recruited and compensated unwitting U.S. participants.[25] These activities included staging counter-protests and building grassroots-style groups like "United Muslims of America" to exploit social tensions.[25] In terms of scale, the IRA managed 470 Facebook accounts that generated 80,000 posts reaching an estimated 126 million users, alongside approximately 3,500 ads purchased for about $100,000; on Twitter, it operated 3,814 accounts posting 175,993 election-related tweets that notified 1.4 million people.[25] A U.S. grand jury indicted Concord, the IRA, Prigozhin, and 12 other Russian nationals on February 16, 2018, charging them with conspiracy to defraud the United States by impairing the lawful functions of government agencies overseeing elections.[3][21] Although charges against Concord were dismissed in March 2020 due to procedural challenges in serving the indictment, Prigozhin publicly acknowledged Russian interference in U.S. elections in November 2022.[6][26] The Mueller investigation found no evidence of coordination between these efforts and the Trump campaign.[25]Scope and Methods of Social Media Operations
![Excerpt from the February 2018 U.S. Department of Justice Indictment of the Internet Research Agency][float-right][21] The Internet Research Agency (IRA), funded by Concord Management and Consulting LLC through Yevgeny Prigozhin, conducted extensive social media operations as part of Project Lakhta, which allocated approximately $1.25 million monthly by September 2016 for information warfare activities targeting the United States.[21] These operations, beginning as early as 2014 and intensifying ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, involved creating and managing hundreds of fake social media accounts impersonating American users to sow discord and influence public opinion.[25] By 2016, IRA-controlled groups and pages on platforms like Facebook amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, posting divisive content on issues such as immigration, race relations, and gun rights to exacerbate societal tensions.[21]| Platform | Accounts/Pages | Key Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| 470 accounts (e.g., Being Patriotic, Matt Skiber) | 80,000 posts from January 2015 to August 2017; reached up to 126 million users; over 3,500 ads costing approximately $100,000[25][21] | |
| 3,814 accounts (e.g., @TEN_GOP, @jenn_abrams) | 175,993 tweets in the 10 weeks before the election; amplified by bots and purchased interactions[25] | |
| Other (Instagram, YouTube) | Dozens of accounts and channels | Thousands of posts and videos promoting polarizing narratives[21] |