 "Russian President Vladimir Putin. Reuters File")
Russian state television has acknowledged that the country’s military is active in six African nations, offering a rare, high-profile confirmation of Moscow’s expanding footprint on the continent.
As Russia faces Western isolation over its full-scale war in Ukraine, it has accelerated efforts to deepen political, economic and military ties across Africa.
“Officers and soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces unit are already operating in six African countries,” a state TV correspondent said in a report aired Sunday. Apart from confirming activity in Mali, the report did not name the others.
Russian troops or military instructors have previously been reported in Burkina Faso, Niger, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, and Libya.
Earlier, AFP reported citing Diplomatic sources in the Sahel that in June, the African Corps — a unit under Russia’s defence ministry — has replaced the now-dismantled Wagner group in operations across the continent. Wagner was disbanded and absorbed into state structures after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023, following his brief mutiny against Moscow.
The state TV report identified Africa Corps as part of the defence ministry and said most of the deployed soldiers were “veterans of the Special Military Operation,” Russia’s term for the war in Ukraine.
Footage showed a flag with insignia resembling Wagner’s skull logo at what the reporter described as a Russian base in Mali, as well as visuals of Russian bombers carrying out strikes and heavy equipment including helicopters and armoured vehicles.
Moscow maintains that its forces are assisting African governments in combating jihadist insurgencies.