Russian Bear Brigade Paramilitary Forces Leave Burkina Faso

Their mission was short-lived. When they arrived in Burkina Faso in May to support the military junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the men of the Bear Brigade, a private military company linked to the Russian Defense Ministry, began packing their bags.

The unit will comprise about a hundred men, out of the 200 to 300 Russians currently deployed in Burkina Faso. The official reason for this departure, just three months after their arrival: participation in the Russian defense efforts against the Ukrainian army's August 6 offensive in the Kursk region.

Contacted by the world On August 22, via encrypted messages on Telegram, Viktor Yermolayev, commander of the Bear Brigade, nicknamed “Gedi,” confirmed the withdrawal. When the enemy comes to our Russian lands, all Russian soldiers forget about internal problems and unite against a common enemy. “, books.

Five days later, on August 27, his unit's Telegram channel broadcast a more explicit message stating that ” In connection with Recent events, the brigade returns to Crimea “In fact, the base camp of the Bear squad is located in occupied Crimea, in Perevalny, which Viktor Yermolayev insists he did not do. “There is no contact with the Russian Ministry of Defense.”

However, contacts with some of its executives have been established. On April 5, 2023, Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister, who today oversees the entire Kremlin military system on the African continent, personally went to the Perevalny camp to offer his support.

Payment problems?

According to a Western source, the departure of the Bear Brigade to Burkina Faso could also be linked to internal discontent over payment problems for some fighters. This is complete nonsense, Victor Yermolayev answers. We are leaving because the enemy [l’armée ukrainienne] Russia is in. We will return to Africa as soon as we finish work at home. »

Russian military and paramilitary personnel have been in Burkina Faso since the end of 2023 at the request of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, wishing to strengthen the security of his regime after the coup attempt, and are engaged, among other things, in training soldiers and cooperating with the security forces and intelligence services.

The Bear Brigade men carried out missions to protect dignitaries. From the Russian ambassador, according to Viktor Yermolayev, but also most likely from Captain Traoré himself. On July 25, in Ouagadougou, the head of the junta was filmed for the first time, in an amateur video, surrounded and protected by Russian paramilitaries in military uniforms, at least one of whom was wearing the Bear Brigade emblem on his arm.

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