Wagner Group advertises a lucrative offer for operations far away from the Ukraine war. Putin primarily wants to secure Africa's mineral resources.
Russia is offering “regime survival packages” to African governments. In return, the Kremlin wants access to mineral resources such as cobalt, uranium, lithium and diamonds. The Wagner Group is now an official unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It has become even more closely linked to the Kremlin since the failed uprising in June 2023 and the mysterious death of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.