Russia is not interested in helping Africa to prosper or achieve stability, but as a theatre for advancing the Kremlin’s geostrategic interests.
People carry a body bag away from the wreckage of a crashed private jet near the Russian village of Kuzhenkinoi on Aug. 24, 2023. Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, reportedly died in the crash along with nine other people.
(AP Photo)
The core members of the Wagner Group, who are loyal to the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, will likely seek revenge against Vladimir Putin for his death. Is the Russian leader now living on borrowed time?
Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin displayed at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia. Prigozhin reportedly died in a plane crash on Aug. 23.
(AP Photo, File)
Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, reportedly died when a private jet he was said to be on crashed on Aug. 23, 2023, killing all 10 people on board.
Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, photographed on June 24, 2023, in Russia.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Russian authorities have given no legitimate justification for dropping criminal cases against rebel troops – undermining both President Vladimir Putin and the legal system.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on June 29, less than a week after the rebellion by the mercenary Wagner Group.
Contributor/Getty Images
The revolt by Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his troops put the US in an unusual situation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
10 tons of ammunition previously laid in civilian settlements by Libyan militia and Wagner group mercenaries .
Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Signs of discontent among Russian nationalists and Wagner had been growing before a column of paramilitaries began an aborted march on Moscow.
A man takes down a poster reading Join us at Wagner in Russian amid an insurrection by the Wagner Group, a private military contractor, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 24.
(AP Photo)
If Vladimir Putin can shift blame for a failed war in Ukraine onto Wagner Group forces as they engage in an armed rebellion on Russian territory, it could provide him an escape hatch from Ukraine.
The Wagner Group has become a tool to further Russian objectives in Africa without attracting the scrutiny that regular military units would.
When Vladimir met Xi: the Russian and Chinese presidents held talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan.
EPA-EFE/Alexander Demyanchik/Sputnik/Kremlin pool
As Ukraine retakes parts of its northeastern region from Russia, the Kremlin continues to increasingly look to private military companies to fill in military power gaps.
New Zealanders fighting in Ukraine are facing significant risks, with no official support from the government. The fighters’ motives may be noble but are they muddying the waters?
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L).
Photo by Sean Gallup - Pool /Getty Images
Marnie Lloydd, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
As the number of volunteers for Ukraine’s International Legion rises to a reported 20,000 from over 50 countries, is it lawful for New Zealanders to join the fight?
The ruins of the Temple of Victory in Himera, which was constructed to commemorate the first battle in 480 B.C.
Katherine Reinberger
Are the descriptions of war passed down by ancient historians accurate? A site in Sicily provided a rare chance to fact-check stories told about two battles from more than 2,400 years ago.
Venzuelan President Nicolás Maduro holds up the passports of two Americans detained in Venezuela in early May.
Handout/EPA