Russian Army Operating in Six African Countries, State TV Acknowledges

In a rare admission of its expanding military footprint in Africa, Russian state television has reported that the country’s armed forces are now operating in six African nations. The acknowledgement comes as Moscow seeks to deepen its political, economic, and security partnerships across the continent amid growing isolation from the West over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A correspondent for state TV, in a report aired on Sunday, said:
“Officers and soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces unit are already operating in six African countries.”
The broadcast named Mali but did not identify the other nations.

However, Russian troops or military instructors have previously been reported in Burkina Faso, Niger, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic and Libya, according to regional and international sources.

The deployment is largely tied to the Africa Corps, a unit of Russia’s defence ministry that emerged after the dismantling and restructuring of the Wagner Group. Diplomatic sources in the Sahel told AFP in June that Africa Corps had assumed control of Wagner’s operations on the continent following the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023, soon after his failed mutiny against Moscow.

Wagner fighters had been active in Ukraine and deeply embedded across several African conflict zones. The state TV report confirmed that Africa Corps now falls under the formal command of the Russian defence ministry and noted that most of its deployed soldiers are “veterans of the Special Military Operation,” Russia’s term for the war in Ukraine.

Footage aired in the report showed a flag bearing insignia similar to Wagner’s skull logo at what was described as a Russian base in Mali. The broadcast also featured two Russian bombers conducting an attack, as well as heavy equipment including helicopters and armored personnel carriers.

Moscow maintains that its military presence is aimed at helping African governments combat jihadist insurgencies and reinforce security.