Russian oligarch indicted by Mueller reportedly 'secured permission' from Kremlin before mercenaries in Syria attacked US forces

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch, was in contact with Kremlin and Syrian officials before Russian mercenaries he's thought to control attacked US forces in Syria, The Washington Post reported.
Russian mercenaries fighting on behalf of the Syrian government attacked US forces in a massive battle earlier this month.
Prigozhin was charged last week by the special counsel Robert Mueller's office with playing a role in "information warfare" against the US before the 2016 election.
A Reuters report last week cited sources as saying the purpose of the attack was to test the US's response, which was immediate and overwhelming.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch, reportedly spoke to Kremlin and Syrian officials before a group of Russian mercenaries he's thought to control attacked US forces earlier this month in Syria.

Citing intercepted communications in US intelligence reports, The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Prigozhin told a senior Syrian official he had "secured permission" from a Russian minister to carry out a "fast and strong" initiative in early February.

On February 7, a column of some 500 forces loyal to the Syrian government — forces the Kremlin has acknowledged included at least some Russian nationals — advanced on a well-known headquarters of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which the US trains, equips, and stations within Syria.

[link to www.businessinsider.com]