Leaked internal documents reveal a Russian-linked network worked to expand a pro-Moscow alliance across the Sahel, using media campaigns, political influence and cultural initiatives to reshape regional power dynamics. The files, part of the "Propaganda Machine" investigation by The Continent and Forbidden Stories, include over 1,400 pages from Africa Politology, a group founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group. After Prigozhin's death and the Wagner Group's collapse in 2023, Russian foreign intelligence reportedly absorbed the operation. The documents detail efforts to strengthen the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — composed of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — and extend its reach to neighbouring countries. A strategic report from August 2023 titled "Global South" called for a "confederation of independence" to counter what it described as a Western-created "belt of instability," targeting a region from Senegal to Eritrea.
The strategy aimed to weaken Western influence, gain UN support, and open markets for Russian energy, weapons and agriculture. In Niger, the network spent $51,300 in May 2024 and $64,500 in September on communication campaigns, funding hundreds of sponsored articles and social media posts. Consultants claimed credit for the AES's formation, stating, "A large information campaign was launched in the media and on social networks. The result of these actions was the agreement of the leaders of the three countries to sign a memorandum creating the Confederation of Sahel States." The confederation was formalised at a summit in July 2024. Documents also describe efforts to isolate Niger's military government from the United States, including disrupting diplomatic contacts. Some figures named in the files, like Maksim Kovaliev and Nikolay Laktionov, were seen conducting interviews in Bamako, where the Russian House funded travel for certain participants in regional meetings.
When Russian consultants claim credit for creating the Alliance of Sahel States, that is not just propaganda — it signals a calculated effort to position Moscow as the architect of regional sovereignty. The $64,500 spent on media manipulation in Niger alone shows the playbook: fund narratives, insert operatives, then take ownership of political outcomes. This isn't about influence — it's about control masked as liberation. For African governments, the danger lies not in Western or Russian alignment, but in allowing foreign actors to write their political scripts.
