Russian Paramilitary Wagner Group Activities In Mali, The Sahel Risk Bolstering Jihadi Groups As The Company’s Abuses Against Civilians Compound

The Wagner Group’s logo

Following this weekend’s coup attempt in Russia by the Wagner Group, we are republishing our extensive JTTM study from August 31, 2022 on Wagner activity in Mali, where it has been working for the country’s military junta since December 2021. After it was announced that Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin would be relocating to Belarus, in a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko,[1] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 26, 2023 that the group will continue its operations in Mali and that the events of the past few days would not affect Russia’s ties with “partners and friends.”[2]

Prigozhin’s Investments Remain in Syria

Prigozhin’s political and financial future remains uncertain as he seeks exile in Belarus, Iyad el-Jaafara writes.

During the tense hours of anticipation, analysts closely monitored the developments surrounding Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion against the Russian Ministry of Defense. There were discussions about the possibility of this uprising extending into Syrian territory, where the Wagner militia was still actively engaged. However, analysts downplayed this possibility until the Belarusian-brokered deal brought an end to the Wagner rebellion within Russian borders.

Prigozhin has let the genie out of the bottle

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.

MIDDLE EAST 2.0

Muslim countries refused to be satellites of Washington
The territory of the Middle East (from Western Asia to North Africa) has always attracted foreign powers. First, the region is the main source of hydrocarbon production, primarily oil. Secondly, it is the center of the logistics system for transporting energy resources. Suffice it to recall the Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles, the Bosporus, etc. etc.

THE LAST BATTLE OF PARADIGMS: RUSSIAN TRADITIONALISM AGAINST WORLD LIBERALISM

Tradition is a transcendent superhuman wisdom of the superhuman, divine knowledge transmitted to humanity through revelation, messages, sacred texts, fixed in the historical traditions of different peoples, in languages, rituals, customs, rules of conduct and morality, rituals, mysteries, reflected in metaphysics, philosophy, social structure, politics, statehood, art, etc.

AFTER THE REBELLION. BIFURCATION POINT

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.

TRANSMUTATIONS OF THE LOGOS IN POSTMODERN SOCIETY

Stages of diurn: from logos to logistics
Let us trace the fate of the logos in Postmodernity. It is extremely important to always remember that the logos is one of the manifestations of the heroic myth , that is, the product of the diurna regime (according to J. Durand’s classification)). And not unique and not absolute. Logos includes the antithetical and pleonasmic sides of the heroic myth (heterogenizing homogenization) and brings them to the last limit. But at the same time, it leaves in the myth (in the unconscious) such aspects of diurn as a direct mad will to power, passionarity and hyperbolization. Of course, these aspects of the diurna – relatives of the logos – penetrate the logos, but not explicitly , but due to the inertia of the heroic myths’ attraction to each other (that is, not logically).

La rébellion de Evgueni Prigojine

Contrairement aux commentaires de la presse occidentale, Evgueni Prigojine n’a jamais tenté de coup d’État contre Vladimir Poutine. Il a voulu le faire chanter afin de conserver les privilèges exorbitants qu’il a accumulés depuis la création de sa société militaire privée. Puis il s’est rendu à la raison et a réintégré son poste.

Prigozhin’s Mutiny Is the Beginning of Putin’s End

Nobody in Russia understands what the war in Ukraine is about. And now, nobody knows if that war is coming to them.

When I saw the first images of armed men in ragtag uniforms taking over the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday morning, I was immediately reminded of the “little green men” who began showing up in cities in Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. Like the Russian troops and soldiers-of-fortune who began the Kremlin’s covert invasion of Ukraine, the fighters in Rostov displayed no insignia as they seized key buildings, including the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District. Just as in Ukraine nine years ago, there was no resistance from local law enforcement officers, who chose life over a fight with determined gunmen.

Moscow’s Mayhem Isn’t Over Yet

Top Russian officials rallied around President Vladimir Putin in a clear sign of support for the Kremlin on Monday, two days after paramilitary Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin seized the strategic city of Rostov-on-Don and began an advance toward the capital.