The U.S. spy agency Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has boots on the ground in Ukraine and operates a clandestine supply network to help the government in Kiev to fight Russia, leading U.S. weekly Newsweek reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources within the US government.
Africa has become an essential element of Russia’s geostrategic posture in recent years as Moscow seeks to evade its international isolation and sanctions. However, facing isolation and a contracting economy, Russia has come to the realisation that cultivating an entry point into Africa through conventional means like foreign direct investment (FDI), trade, development assistance, or cultural and educational exchanges, is not its best option. Instead, Moscow has chosen the path of a disruptor to elevate its influence on the African continent.1
I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men.
~PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, American University, June 10, 1963Following an essay I published earlier this month and the letter the Eisenhower Media Network ran in The New York Times in May, I have heard forceful and passionate protests that Russia had no other option but to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Frankly, I find quite bewildering and concerning this intense insistence that the only option available to Russia was to launch a cross-border invasion, conduct a deliberate occupation of a sovereign country, and commit a clear violation of the Nuremberg Principles and international law.
Evgheni Prigojin, șeful companiei rusești de mercenari Wagner, a plecat în exil în Belarus după insurecția contramandată, aparent în urma unei înțelegeri mediate de președintele belarus Aleksandr Lukașenko, relatează Foreign Policy.
C’est un document accablant sur le rôle de Wagner en Centrafrique. L’organisation The Sentry, qui enquête sur les réseaux de prédation économique et financière dans les zones de conflit, a livré mardi un rapport sur les activités du groupe d’Evegueni Prigojine depuis son installation dans le pays il y a cinq ans. Appelée « Les architectes de la terreur », l’enquête restitue les témoignages d’horreurs de près d’une cinquantaine de victimes et de militaires ayant participé à des opérations du groupe russe.
The Russian private military company Wagner Group, which made headlines over the weekend by starting to march on Moscow amid an apparent dispute with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has longstanding ties to Hong Kong, records show.
La Russie continuera d’opérer en Centrafrique, avec le groupe Wagner qui combat actuellement la rébellion au côté de l’armée, ou un autre contingent, a affirmé lundi un haut responsable de la présidence de cet Etat d’Afrique centrale.
On 24 June, President Vladimir Putin faced his biggest challenge in over two decades at Russia’s helm: a mutiny by a mercenary group fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts explore the implications for Putin’s rule and Russian foreign policy.
We have yet to see the full repercussions of the Wagner Group’s march on Moscow.
“Bombing Voronezh” is an expression in the Russian language that roughly translates to hurting yourself while trying to do damage to someone else. On June 24, language met reality as Russian forces bombed the southern city of Voronezh trying to slow down the advance of the Wagner Group’s mercenary convoy towards Moscow.
I noticed that the consciousness of many simply cannot cope with the events of June 24th. Therefore, the trend is rising: “it just didn’t happen”; “everything was not real”; “They are there on purpose.” Only in this way can the acute pain of what happened be dulled. When it comes to the defensive reaction of a wide society, not particularly immersed in the sphere of meanings – in this case, political science meanings, this is understandable and acceptable: people are looking for loopholes for the continuity of the routine flow of the life world, in which events are either microscopic or they do not exist at all. But when those who claim seriousness and depth of analysis begin to broadcast the same thing, it just looks pathetic. In fact, the acute phase of the events of June 24 has been resolved, but nothing is completely over yet: now some specific actions of the authorities must follow, which will clarify the picture, and only then comes the minimum clarity. In the meantime, it may be premature to comment on the meanings: since the whole process has not been completely completed, the resulting one may be different. After all, what began and continues, acquires meaning in its completion – and not before. You never know what can happen in the course of the deployment of such a critical chain of events. Full analytics ahead.