Specially trained commandos of the Wagner team, are professional soldiers who joined the war in Ukraine. Their goal in recent years? Clear and very important for the Kremlin: to advance the global ambitions of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Mainly in Africa …
The Wagner Group presents itself as private military organization and the Kremlin – after repeated “hits” and questions from employees in the media, denies any connection with him or even, sometimes, and that there is. Despite the … denials of the past, the Group’s commitment to Russia’s interests became apparent in Ukraine, where mercenaries still wear the creepy emblem of the white skull of the teamare among the Russian forces and are currently attacking eastern Ukraine.
It is characteristic that in Africa, the paramilitary group has played a strange role in countries such as Sudan and Mali. “They are essentially running the Central African Republic and they are a growing force in Mali,” said General Steven Townsend, commander of the U.S. Armed Forces in Africa, at a Senate hearing last month. There are many questions for the team. But the key is one: who is the main financier? The United States believes that the person behind the Wagner group’s funding is Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigogine, who is close to President Putin. He was accused by the US government of trying to influence the 2016 US presidential election and since then the Wagner group has been subject to sanctions by the US and the European Union.
Russia’s plan of influence for Africa, where it has implemented its … strategy as far north as Libya and as far south as Mozambique, is somewhat simple according to several analysts: to impose their sovereignty “. African leaders receive recognition from the Kremlin and military power from Wagner. What do they give in return? They “pay” by giving Russia access to oil, gas, gold, diamonds and their precious minerals. Russia is also gaining ground on a strategically important continent. But there is another goal of Russia’s “hybrid war” in Africa, according to Joseph Siegel, director of research at the Center for Strategic Studies in Africa.
According to him, Russia is conducting an ‘ideological battle», Using Wagner as “Coercive tool” to undermine them western ideas for democracy and turn countries towards Moscow. “If democracy is considered the ultimate ambitious model of governance, then that is restrictive for Russia,” Siegl said. According to him, Wagner promotes Russian interests with soldiers and weapons, but also through propaganda and misinformation, as Prigogine has done for Putin in the past. Support from several African countries is considered a success by Russia. It is noteworthy that when the United Nations tabled a resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine, 17 of the 35 countries abstained: almost half – were African. Several other African countries did not even take part in the vote!
Russia’s strategy in Africa has minimal economic and political costs. Analysts estimate that the mercenary group operates with only a few hundred to 2,000 soldiers in each country. According to the same analysis, many of the mercenaries are former agents of the Russian military security services …
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