From Wagner to SVR: How Russia’s Spy Agency Holds Sway Across Africa

After the fall of the Wagner mercenary network, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service quietly inherited its influence operations in Africa. An international investigation has revealed how a new entity, Africa Politology, now drives state-directed propaganda and political engineering across the continent. Under the SVR banner, roughly 100 consultants operate in over 34 countries on a budget of about $7.3 million for 2024. Funding moves through a web of shell companies to evade oversight, while leaked internal documents expose strategic plans, accounting records, and employee profiles. Teams have been active in Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana and more. In Mali, operatives provided real-time intelligence on French and US forces to local military governments. Russia also played a key role in forming the Alliance of Sahel States by pushing out Western media and NGOs. The SVR aims to establish a “belt of friendly regimes” from Guinea to Ethiopia. Tactics range from fake social-media campaigns and forged election letters to embedded local assets. The true goal isn’t profit but long-term strategic depth and narrative control.

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