The SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service, reportedly took over Wagner’s influence and disinformation operations in Africa after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s 2023 death. Investigators authenticated 76 documents from a 1,400+ page cache showing coordinated campaigns, placement of agents of influence, and close ties to security services. Nearly 100 consultants worked for Wagner’s influence arm, Africa Politology, and the operation’s budget for Jan–Oct 2024 is estimated at about $7.3 million. The report highlights political gains in parts of the Sahel but notes limited economic payoff so far.
Investigation: Russia’s SVR Took Over Wagner’s Influence Campaigns Across Africa
Sometimes, the SVR intelligence service competes with the Russian defence ministry in Africa or has to coordinate with it, according to a new investigation (Alexey SAZONOV)(Alexey SAZONOV/FILES/AFP)
Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, has assumed control of the Wagner Group’s influence and disinformation operations across Africa following the 2023 death of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, a consortium of investigative outlets has found.
The joint probe — led by Forbidden Stories and All Eyes On Wagner with contributions from Dossier Center, openDemocracy, iStories and The Continent — is based on a cache of more than 1,400 pages of internal documents, of which investigators authenticated 76. These files include strategic plans, staff biographies, operational reports, accounting records and summaries of disinformation campaigns conducted between January and November 2024.
SVR Replaces Wagner’s Influence Arm
According to the investigation, the SVR has taken over the most effective elements of Wagner’s influence apparatus, known inside the network as Africa Politology or simply "The Company." Nearly 100 consultants are reported to have worked for that influence arm, which deployed teams across multiple countries in 2024–25.
Named countries include Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Cameroon, Benin and Namibia. The operation’s estimated budget for January–October 2024 was roughly $7.3 million (about $750,000 per month).
Methods And Coordination
Investigators say the operations combined political lobbying, disinformation campaigns and placement of "agents of influence," supported by intelligence from the SVR. The SVR reportedly recruits sources, places operatives in strategic roles and provides targeted intelligence to advance Moscow’s political and economic goals.
"These operations combine political influence, disinformation and close ties to security services, going far beyond the usual practices in the sector," the consortium wrote.
The report also describes a complex relationship between the SVR and Russia’s defence ministry (which oversees the GRU): sometimes cooperative, sometimes competitive. While the defence ministry has absorbed Wagner security operations in some countries and coordinated an "Africa Corps," the SVR is said to manage influence activities and at times shield Wagner contractors from interference — notably in the Central African Republic.
Political Impact And Limits
The investigators link SVR-supported influence work to diplomatic initiatives such as backing the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which brought junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger closer to Moscow after a string of coups. Authors of the probe highlight extensive lobbying, legal work and memorandums of understanding, but note that many agreements have not translated into sustained commercial or economic gains for Russia.
"Russia is playing the long game but the results are not always quick to materialise," the report concludes, pointing to a disparity between political influence and tangible economic returns.
Who Carried Out The Investigation: Forbidden Stories, All Eyes On Wagner, Dossier Center, openDemocracy, iStories and The Continent.
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