The Wagner Group made Russian mercenaries infamous. With its co-founder Yevgeny Prigozhin dead, the Russian state is strengthening its control over the fighters, researchers say

A monument in honour of the late leader of Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been unveiled in the Central African Republic (CAR). The statue of Prigozhin, who died in a place crash last year, was installed in the capital Bangui, alongside that of his right-hand man Dmitru Utkin.

At least six Russian mercenaries were killed in an attack by an al-Qaida-linked group in central Mali, according to a statement by the extremists on its media platform.

Previously all-powerful, the Wagner Group has slowly been reduced in size and dismantled in many of the countries it operated in since the death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in August 2023. VOA Russian spoke to U.

The ongoing conflicts in Africa have heightened the demand for foreign mercenaries, particularly the Russian-trained Wagner group, which has integrated with a significant portion of African military forces.

The group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wa-al-Muslimin (JNIM) attacked Russian Wagner mercenaries in Mali, killing at least six of them. This marks another attack on Russians in Africa. The incident occurred in Mopti,