The Russia-linked Wagner Group is expanding its mining projects in Africa to raise millions of dollars to support its military operations in Ukraine.. It is reported by POLITICO with reference to the information of a Western official and a diplomatic dispatch from the United States..

Over the past year, the Wagner Company has significantly expanded its operations in the Central African Republic, which it sees for itself a significant potential profit from mining - up to $ 1 billion.. This funding is likely to be used by the group to acquire new weapons and fighter jets, the source said..

The private military company Wagner, owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, is engaged in paramilitary activities around the world, in particular in Africa and the Middle East, and is becoming increasingly active on the front lines in Ukraine.. The Kremlin denies any official connection with Wagner.

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U.S. officials have already warned that Wagner is using mining revenue to support Russia amid Western sanctions.. Details of projects in the CAR prove that the Wagner group's mining activities are becoming increasingly profitable for the organization and create a channel for financing Russia's war against Ukraine.

The group opened a business in the CAR in 2018, establishing a cultural center and entering into several agreements to protect mining sites, including at the Ndassima gold mine, located near the city of Bambari in the center of the country.. Since then, the telegram says, Wagner has turned the artisanal mine into a huge complex..

Today, the mine covers eight production zones at various stages of development: the depth of the greatest is estimated at about 200 feet (~ 61 meters, - ed.. The US estimates that the group is helping to develop the site for long-term exploitation, and has also strengthened the mine by building bridges at river crossings and installing truck-mounted anti-aircraft systems at key locations..

“These new developments they are undertaking indicate long-term plans for the mine,” says Katrina Doxey, Associate Director and Fellow at the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a DC think tank..

According to her, the fact that the group is expanding mining activities and making long-term plans indicates how integrated they are with the local army, as well as the level of dependence on them of the government of the republic..

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The National Security Council did not provide comments to the publication.. The State Department, in an emailed statement, said the US is looking for " This includes, in particular, sanctions against the network.

In December, the Department of Commerce introduced export controls to block the group's ability to buy new weapons.. U.S. officials are preparing additional measures, another source said..

According to the cable, the Central African Republic refuses to grant UN peacekeepers permission to fly unmanned aerial vehicles over its territory. Several of them were fired upon by the CAR army. The US believes that this is a sign that Wagner has political control in the country..

The Wagner Group has a history of using force to advance its mining interests in Africa.. In 2020, she sent fighters to the Ndassima mine to protect the territory.

In 2021, the group was accused of mass executions, torture and kidnapping of local residents in order to force them to leave their homes for further construction of the mine by a private company. Since then, the group has operated under the guise of a company registered in Madagascar..

Earlier, Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Richard Mills said that the Wagner PIK interferes in the internal affairs of African countries, which led to an increase in the likelihood of an increase in extremism in the Sahel region..