Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has delivered his first video address since his failed coup attempt almost two months ago.
In the video posted on Telegram, Prigozhin, decked out in combat gear, claimed he’s in Africa “making Russia even greater on all continents” and that his Wagner Group is making Africa “more free.”
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The Wagner Group is believed to have thousands of soldiers in Africa to support its financial interests. Western nations, including the United States, have feared that the ongoing coup in Niger will allow Wagner to exert its influence there.
Prigozhin’s soldiers are already stationed in countries such as Mali and the Central African Republic — where rights groups and the United Nations accuse them of committing war crimes. Last month, the United Kingdom accused the two heads of Wagner’s operations in CAR of torturing and killing civilians, per the BBC.
In the video address, Prigozhin said his group is fighting criminals “and other bandits,” as well as searching for minerals. “Justice and happiness for the African people, we’re making life a nightmare for ISIS and Al-Qaeda and other bandits.”
Prigozhin had been away from the public eye since his brief attempt to wrestle power from the Russian Defense Ministry and possibly even Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prigozhin and his Wagner forces were in Ukraine when he began to accuse senior Russian military leaders of withholding resources from his troops, leading to many of their deaths. The resentment boiled over when, on June 23, Prigozhin led his troops from Ukraine into Russia, where they briefly seized the city of Rostov in what he called a “march for justice.”
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With his troops facing limited resistance, they reached roughly 120 miles from Moscow before Prigozhin abruptly called off the rebellion, with various officials saying he agreed to flee to Belarus.
A few days later, the Wagner leader claimed his intent was not to overthrow the government, saying the march was “aimed to prevent the destruction of Wagner. We wanted to hold accountable those who made mistakes during the special military operation,” he said, according to the Kyiv Post.
