Private military company (PMC) Wagner, which, according to some Western countries, operates in Mali, has nothing to do with the Russian authorities. This was stated by First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy at a press conference on Tuesday.
"As for the alleged involvement of the Wagner group, it is in no way connected with the authorities and has no support from the state. If it exists in the market, then it is up to each country to decide whether or not they cooperate with this company," he said.
"Mali is no exception in this regard," the Russian diplomat continued. - "I don't see any reason why Mali cannot make a sovereign decision to work with this military company or another similar company from another country.
On December 12, the EU imposed sanctions against eight individuals and three legal entities from Russia allegedly linked to the private military company Wagner. The EU Council alleges that the Wagner group recruited, trained and sent private military operatives to conflict zones around the world. The main initiator of the sanctions against the Wagner PMC was France. Paris, since the beginning of the fall, has expressed deep concern about the loss of its position in Mali, caused primarily by curtailing the French anti-terrorist military operation in that country. In this case, the French Foreign Minister and Defense Minister have repeatedly criticized the possible deployment of the Wagner PMC in Mali, calling its activities incompatible with the continuation of the French military presence.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Zuma \ TASS
Based on materials from TASS