The influence of the Russian Federation in Africa. The case of the Wagner group

Abstract

This paper discusses Wagner Group’s involvement in Africa, analyzing its methods of exercising influence, as well as its role in the efforts of the Russian Federation to expand its influence on the African continent. Starting from a conceptual combination between the concept of “informal empire” and the meaning of institutions within the theory of Institutional Economics from the perspective of Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, the paper argues that the Wagner Group represents an instrument of informal imperial dominance for the Russian Federation in Africa. The study considers four case studies of the influence of the Wagner Group on the African continent, focused on the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, and Mali, from the perspective of three main methods of exerting influence in the area: disinformation, involvement in the extractive industry and the deployment of military instructors.