- In June 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Africa Corps fully replaced the Wagner Group’s deployment to Mali. Africa Corps likely has around 2,000 personnel currently deployed to Mali, compared to Wagner’s prior deployment of around 2,500 personnel.
- Africa Corps has deployed with over 100 pieces of major combat equipment to Mali, including main battle tanks, multiple launch rocket systems and tactical bomber aircraft, greatly increasing the firepower available to Russian forces in the country.
- The Wagner organisation had previously operated along a significant portion of Russia’s frontline against Ukraine using almost 50,000 prisoners from Russia’s jails. Over the course of 2023, Wagner rapidly transformed from the Russian MOD’s trusted auxiliary to one of the primary threats to the security of the regime, with the group driving on Moscow during their June 2023 mutiny attempt.
- Since then, the Russian MOD has sought to centralise control over Russian security deployments overseas, reducing the potential threat independent Private Military Companies pose to the Russian state, whilst increasingly formalising Russia’s security relationships with its partners.
- Despite the Russian MOD replacing Wagner in Syria in late 2023, Libya in early 2024, and now Mali, the Wagner Group nevertheless continues to operate independently in both the Central African Republic and Belarus, where around 2,000 and 300 Wagner personnel are likely deployed respectively.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 31 July 2025.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 31, 2025
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