Ukrainian intelligence exposes Russian spy network controlling Wagner’s African network
Photo: Wagner Group legacy came under the control of Russian intelligence (Getty Images)
Ukrainian intelligence has revealed how the Kremlin is using the remnants of Yevgeny Prigozhin's empire in Africa – Russia's foreign intelligence has taken control of the hidden influence network Africa Politology, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate.
What happened to Prigozhin's empire after the mutiny
The so-called Wagner Group, which was founded and led by "Putin's chef" Yevgeny Prigozhin, was one of the key instruments of Russian influence in Africa. After the failed mutiny in Russia in 2023, the remnants of Prigozhin's army were reorganized into the so-called Africa Corps, which is now managed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Meanwhile, another structure of the Wagner leader – the organization Africa Politology (also known as The Company) – came under the operational and financial control of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
What exactly Africa Politology does
The organization is a covert network of political influence, propaganda, lobbying, and espionage. It develops strategies aimed at displacing the influence of Western countries and the UN from Africa – it conducts disinformation campaigns, manipulates public opinion, corrupts local journalists and bloggers, creates and coordinates pro-Russian media and Telegram channels.
The organization's scope also includes supporting pro-Russian politicians, organizing protests, espionage, discrediting democratic governments and opposition parties – particularly in the Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Angola, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, and other African countries.
Specific information campaigns of 2024
On the SVR's orders, Africa Politology carried out a number of operations:
- Discrediting the presence of the humanitarian organization FHI 360 in the Central African Republic;
- Opposing the extension of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA in the Central African Republic;
- Spreading rumors about the poisoning of CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra in France;
- Discrediting Ukraine on the African continent;
- Inciting anti-French sentiment in the Central African Republic.
Whom the Ukrainian intelligence named
Ukrainian intelligence released the personal data of key figures managing Africa Politology. Among them are SVR veteran Dmitry Fadeyev, who coordinated the organization's transition under Kremlin control, as well as Ilya Savelyev, Sergey Klyushkin, Sergey Mashkevich (formerly a curator of Prigozhin's projects in Sudan), Dmitry Volkov (responsible for operations in Bolivia), Alexey Shilov, Taras Pribashin (under US sanctions, worked in Syria, the US, Europe, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, and the CAR), Nikolay Radkovsky, as well as Yulia Afanasyeva-Bereg and Ksenia Soboleva, who are also under US sanctions.
How the network is funded
The SVR funds Africa Politology through shell companies, including JSC "Inter" and LLC "Intertechtrade." Transactions between them were conducted to disguise the origin of funds, conceal the role of intelligence, avoid tax control, and minimize the risk of payment blocking.
A significant portion of the funding is done in cash – this, among other things, allows SVR operatives on African missions to inflate budgets, as cash use is almost unmonitored.
The behavior of the Africa Corps in Africa had already raised questions earlier. According to Ukrainian intelligence, during a battle in Mali, Russian troops abandoned their allies, and the consequences of the attack for them were catastrophic.
