Russia's mercenary battalion Wagner Group 'adept at being opportunistic,' expert says
Cameron Hudson, Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the CSIS Africa Program discussed Wagner Group's activities Western Africa, explaining to Fox News Digital that the civil unrest in Niger could prove prophetic for American interests in the region.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin posted a new video on Telegram Monday proclaiming that the Russian mercenary force would make Russia "greater" and Africa "freer."
The video was posted on a Telegram channel from, what Prigozhin claims, is somewhere in Africa.
In the video, Prigozhin says the Wagner Group is conducting reconnaissance and search activities, and "making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even freer."
In this image taken from video released by Razgruzka_Vagnera telegram channel on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company speaks to a camera at an unknown location. (Razgruzka_Vagnera telegram channel via AP)
"Justice and happiness for African nations. Giving hell to ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other bandits," Prigozhin says, noting temperatures there were topping 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
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"Recruiting real warriors and continuing to complete the tasks that have been given and we had promised to master," Prigozhin says while toting an assault rifle and wearing military fatigues. Pickup trucks and other people dressed in fatigues are seen in the background.
The video’s publication comes nearly two months after Prigozhin spearheaded a short-lived rebellion that posed the most serious threat to President Vladimir Putin of the Russian leader's 23-year rule.
FILE: Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. (Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Wagner founder long benefited from Putin's powerful patronage, including while he built a private army that fought for Russian interests abroad and participated in some of the deadliest battles of the war in Ukraine.
Russian social media channels linked to the mercenary leader said Prigozhin was recruiting fighters to work in Africa and also inviting investors from Russia to put money in the Central African Republic through Russian House, a cultural center in the African nation's capital.
The Central African Republic is one of the countries where Wagner's soldiers-for-hire have been active and accused of committing human rights abuses.
The Kremlin has used the Wagner Group since 2014 as a tool to expand Russia's presence in the Middle East and Africa.
Members of Wagner group prepare to pull out from the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to their base in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, 2023. ((Photo by ROMAN ROMOKHOV/AFP via Getty Images))
"It is not a coincidence that the Wagner Group is expanding its presence in Africa. Russia views Africa as one of the top vital regions in the world because of its natural resources," former U.S. Defense Intelligence Officer Rebekah Koffler told Fox News Digital.
"It is part of Putin’s grand strategy to displace the U.S. and Western influence in Africa. Likely on Putin’s orders, Prigozhin is executing this strategy, which includes destabilization operations, under the guise of counter-terrorism training provided to unstable regimes. It is also part of Putin’s strategy of lateral escalation, i.e., giving Washington something else to think about, to divert attention from supporting Ukraine."
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Prigozhin spent months criticizing Russia's military performance in Ukraine before he called for an armed uprising on June 23 to oust the defense minister and headed from Ukraine toward Moscow with his mercenaries.
Under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin agreed to end his rebellion in exchange for amnesty for him and his fighters and permission to relocate to Belarus.
FILE: Members of Wagner group sit on the sidewalk as they patrol the center of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. (STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
Putin branded Prigozhin a traitor as the revolt unfolded and vowed harsh punishment, but the criminal case against the mercenary chief on rebellion charges was later dropped. The Kremlin said Putin had a three-hour meeting with Prigozhin and Wagner Group commanders days after the rebellion.
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A video in July apparently showed Prigozhin in Belarus but he was photographed after that on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. His current whereabouts are unknown.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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