“Project”: political strategists associated with Prigozhin work in 20 African countries

Political technologists who may be linked to St. Petersburg businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin work in at least 20 African countries, according to a new investigation by the Proekt publication.

The authors of the investigation claim that one of the priority areas for Prigozhin’s structures in Africa has become work in 39 countries where presidential elections will be held in the next two years. Each country has its own action plan, but the focus is on the former French colonies in Africa. Project sources claim that in this way Prigozhin's structures are trying to unite the countries into a "gray" political union.

At the moment, according to the "Project", Prigozhin's political strategists are working in Angola, Benin, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Chad Central African Republic (CAR), South Sudan and South Africa.

As the journalists found out, there is a “back office” in St. Petersburg connected with Prigozhin’s structures, which works on African projects, and is headed by political strategist Pyotr Bychkov. The organization allegedly helps create regional movements in the countries of the African politician Kemi Seba, who speaks "against French neo-colonialism and imperialism."

According to Proekt’s rough estimates, in 2018 structures associated with Prigozhin spent almost $15 million on political strategists in Madagascar alone. There, Seba participated in a conference on the fate of the Esparce Islands, accompanied by a Russian-speaking girl. According to the publication, the conference was organized by Russian political technologists Roman Pozdnyakov and Andrey Kramar.

As the authors of the project note, the official Russian authorities are showing great interest in these African countries: Russia concluded eight agreements with them last year, half of which are military ones. According to a federal politician unnamed by the Project, Prigozhin allegedly coordinates his foreign policy actions personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Putin's knowledge of Prigozhin's activities in Africa. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also told the Project that she did not know anything.

Recall that earlier the "Project" reported on the work of political technologists associated with Prigozhin in Madagascar to accompany the presidential elections. According to the publication, Wagner PMC mercenaries came to the country last year to guard them. Presumably, after that, in October, they guarded the chromium mines, where a company associated with Prigozhin worked, the journalists claimed.