Col Goïta's regime exploits local resentment of sanctions to stir up anger against the bloc but has been welcoming the arrival of Russian forces and probably despite denials as many as 1 000 mercenaries from the Wagner Group headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin a close associate of Russia's President Vladimir Putin (AC Vol 63 No 2 War dogs' old tricks)...

Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin a close associate of Russia's President Vladimir Putin tweeted on 24 January that the coup in Burkina Faso represented a 'new era of decolonisation' a direct reference to declining French influence in the region...

Wagner is widely believed to be a proxy for the Russian state and its boss business tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin is close to President Vladimir Putin...

' Alongside the Russian military relationship over the last few years Sudan has also become an area of operations for mercenary operatives of Wagner Group tied to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and the front for Russian operations in countries including Ukraine Libya and the Central African Republic...

He said Touadéra's advisers were among those putting out hostile messages against France and that he considered Touadéra a 'hostage' of the Wagner Group tied to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin (AC Vol 62 No 11 Touadéra tilts to Moscow losing Western backing)...

A group of young Bangui social media 'geeks' is being trained by the Internet Research Agency owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin the Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin who is linked to the Wagner Group private military contractor and to cyber-warfare...

The Russian fighters are ex-soldiers employed by the Wagner Group the paramilitary security company whose boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is close to President Vladimir Putin...

On 7 November Haftar visited Moscow to see Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Yevgeny Prigozhin the head of Wagner the Russian firm which sends Kremlin-approved mercenaries abroad and who is close to President Vladimir Putin...