Putin Expands Russia's Sahel Grip, Replacing Wagner With Africa Corps Firstpost Africa
Russia is expanding its military footprint in Africa's volatile Sahel region as President Vladimir Putin replaces the Wagner Group with the state-controlled Africa Corps. Unlike Wagner, which operated as a semi-private mercenary force with ambiguous Kremlin ties, Africa Corps functions directly under Russia's Defence Ministry and national intelligence. Its deployments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger mark a shift toward a formal, institutional force aimed at securing Moscow's influence across West Africa. The Sahel, plagued by Islamist insurgencies and political instability, is becoming a key battleground for Russian power projection, especially as Western forces scale back their presence.
See More
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
23 minutes ago
- First Post
Russia launches monthly direct flights to North Korea amid growing ties
Russia has launched direct commercial flights to North Korea, signalling a further strengthening of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang. The first Moscow-Pyongyang service, operated by Nordwind Airlines, departed Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday and is expected to run once a month initially. read more People wait outside Terminal C at the Sheremetyevo international airport outside Moscow, Russia. File image/ Reuters Russia inaugurated direct commercial flights to North Korea on Sunday, signalling deeper links with its Asian ally that will aid its push in Ukraine. According to the Sheremetyevo airport's website, the first Moscow-Pyongyang flight operated by Russia's Nordwind Airlines took off at 16:25 GMT. It is slated to arrive in the North Korean capital around eight hours later. However, Russia's transport ministry stated that the route will only be serviced once a month at first. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tickets for Nordwind Airlines, which used to transport Russians to European vacation spots prior to the EU banning Russian flights, cost 45,000 rubles ($570). 'This is a historical event, strengthening the ties between our nations,' Oleg, a Nordwind employee managing the flight who did not want to give his full name, told AFP at the airport. More from World Ukrainian drone strikes force Kremlin to scale down Navy Day celebrations He also declined to say how many passengers were on board. 'For the first time in more than 70 years of diplomatic relations, we are launching direct flights between the capitals of our countries,' Russia's deputy transport minister Vladimir Poteshkin was quoted as saying by the ministry's Telegram account. Russia's state news agency TASS reported that the first return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow would take place on Tuesday. Russia and North Korea restored train links on June 17 after suspending them in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. The two countries have been forging closer military bonds in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying troops and weapons for Russia's military operations in Ukraine. They signed a mutual defence pact last year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea. North Korea confirmed for the first time in April that it had deployed a contingent of its soldiers to the frontline in Ukraine, alongside Russian troops.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Air corridor opens: Russia starts direct flights from Moscow to North Korea's Pyongyang; ties take off with monthly operations confirmed
Russia's Nordwind Airlines Boeing 777-200ER takes-off for the first flight connecting Moscow and Pyongyang at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport. (Picture credit: AP) Russia has started direct commercial flights between Moscow and Pyongyang, marking a significant expansion in its relations with North Korea. The first flight, operated by Nordwind Airlines, departed from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport at 16:25 GMT on Sunday and is expected to reach the North Korean capital in around eight hours, reported news agency AFP. "This is a historical event, strengthening the ties between our nations," said a Nordwind staffer involved in the operation, although he declined to reveal the number of passengers aboard. The route will initially operate once a month, according to Russia's transport ministry. Tickets were priced at 45,000 rubles, or around $570. 'For the first time in more than 70 years of diplomatic relations, we are launching direct flights between the capitals of our countries,' Russia's deputy transport minister, Vladimir Poteshkin, was quoted as saying on the ministry's Telegram channel, according to AFP. Russia's state-run TASS agency reported that the first return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow is scheduled for Tuesday. These flights are part of a broader pattern of increasing engagement between the two countries. As per news agency AP, over 400 passengers were aboard the inaugural flight. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who recently visited North Korea's Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort, has promised to promote tourism between the two countries. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Installing Solar Panels in Albania Might Be Cheaper Then You Think Solar Panels | Search Ads Get Info Undo The newly developed beach resort is central to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's strategy to revive the country's economy through tourism. North Korea, which had sealed its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic, has gradually resumed travel links. Train services between the two countries resumed on June 17, and air travel between Pyongyang and Russia's Vladivostok had already restarted in 2023. The resumption of direct flights comes amid deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korea has supplied weapons and troops to support Russia's operations in Ukraine, according to AP. In 2024, North Korea confirmed it had deployed its soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces. The two nations also signed a mutual defence pact during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang last year. The renewed air link, symbolic of their strengthening alliance, signals not only increasing military coordination but also a push for broader economic and tourism ties between the heavily sanctioned nations. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Ukrainian drone strikes force Kremlin to scale down Navy Day celebrations
Russia dramatically scaled back its Navy Day festivities on Sunday due to mounting security concerns amid a surge in Ukrainian drone attacks. The Kremlin cancelled traditional warship parades in major port cities including St. Petersburg, with officials citing the need to prioritise public safety. read more Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left arrives to visit the frigate "Admiral Grigorovich" in Kronstadt, outside St. Petersburg during Navy Day celebration, Russia. AP Russia scaled back its Navy Day celebrations on Sunday, citing security concerns amid ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks that continue to challenge the Kremlin. Russian authorities called off the warship parades that are typically held to commemorate the annual Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersburg, the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic, and the far-eastern port of Vladivostok. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to reporters' questions about why the parade in St. Petersburg was called off, even as President Vladimir Putin arrived in his hometown to tour the navy headquarters, by saying that 'it's linked to the overall situation, security reasons, which are above all else.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Over the course of the night, 99 Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defences, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. It claimed that 51 more drones were shot down close to St. Petersburg later that day. According to local officials, a woman was injured by drone fragments in the Lomonosov area. Due to the drone threat, the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg halted dozens of flights early on Sunday. Putin paid a visit to St. Petersburg's historic Admiralty headquarters to receive reports on four-day naval manoeuvres that ended on Sunday. 150 vessels from the Baltics to the Pacific participated in the July Storm exercise. In addition to promising to increase the navy's training and build more warships, Putin also stated that 'the navy's strike power and combat capability will rise to a qualitatively new level.' He also visited the Admiral Grigorovich frigate of the Baltic Fleet at the Kronstadt naval base just west of St. Petersburg to hail its crew for fending off a Ukrainian drone attack in the region earlier in the day. Reducing the scale of the Navy Day celebrations reflects Moscow's worries about Ukraine's sweeping drone attacks across the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a series of strikes earlier in the war now in its fourth year, Ukraine sank several Russian warships in the Black Sea, crippling Moscow's naval capability and forcing it to redeploy its fleet from Russia-occupied Crimea to Novorossiysk. And in an audacious June 1 attack code-named 'Spiderweb,' Ukraine used drones to hit several Russian air bases hosting long-range bombers across Russia, from the Arctic Kola Peninsula to Siberia. The drones were launched from trucks covertly placed near the bases, taking the Russian military by surprise in a humiliating blow to the Kremlin. The raid destroyed or damaged many of the bombers that had been used by Moscow to launch aerial attacks on Ukraine, providing a major morale boost for Kyiv at a time when Kyiv's undermanned and under-gunned forces are facing Russian attacks along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. Russia continued to batter Ukraine with drone and missile strikes Sunday. In Sumy in Ukraine's northeast, a drone attack damaged civil infrastructure objects, an administrative building and non-residential premises, leaving three people wounded. Elsewhere in the region, two men died after being blown up by a land mine and another woman was injured from a drone attack on another community in the region, the regional military administration said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday and said later on X that he reaffirmed France's support for Kyiv and vowed to raise pressure on Moscow to force it to 'agree to a ceasefire that paves the way for talks leading to a solid and lasting peace, with full European involvement.'
