Russian mercenaries work in African countries such as Sudan, Mozambique, Libya, and Mali.
Russia after the death of the head of the PMC Wagner Evgenia Prigozhina is working on a new military structure that will deal with the African issue. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, November 2.
Media say Russia plans to replace other private military companies in Africa, such as Redoubt and Convoy. The companies were financed by friends of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Gennady Timchenko and Arkady Rottenberg.
The newspaper recalled that Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov visited Libya, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Central African Republic at the end of August. In the footage of the trips, one can see Averyanov and Redut commander Konstantin Mirzayants.
Konstantin Pikalov, who had previously led the Wagnerites’ military operations in Africa, was in command of the convoy.
Russian mercenaries work in several African countries:
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Sudanese;
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Wrong;
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Libya;
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Mozambique.
People started talking about Russia’s influence in Africa after 2014, when the first sanctions against the country began to be imposed.
The continent has proven particularly important for Russia’s defense sector, which has been denied many contracts around the world.
By 2013, the share of Russian weapons in Africa varied between 11-25%, and after 2017 it increased to more than 40%. In 2020, half of the weapons imported into Africa were Russian.
As of 2019, Algeria, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, and Rwanda rely on Russian nuclear energy. Russia promised them to build several nuclear power plants over time.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the Russian ship Lady R, whose owner transports weapons for the Kremlin, turned off its transponder in December before secretly docking at South Africa’s largest naval base, where it delivered and loaded unknown cargo.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.