Their mission was short-lived. Having arrived in Burkina Faso in May to support the junta of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the men of the Bear Brigade, a private military company linked to the Russian Ministry of Defence, are now packing their bags.
This unit would have nearly 100 men, out of the 200 to 300 Russian troops currently deployed in Burkina Faso. The official reason for this departure, just three months after their arrival: to participate in the Russian defence effort against the offensive launched by the Ukrainian army on 6 August in the Kursk region.
Contacted by The world On August 22, via encrypted Telegram messages, Viktor Yermolaev, commander of the Bear Brigade, alias “Jedi,” confirmed this withdrawal. When the enemy comes to our Russian territory, all Russian soldiers forget about internal problems and unite against a common enemy. “, wrote.
Five days later, on August 27, his unit’s Telegram channel broadcast a more explicit message stating that ” in link with Recent events, the brigade returns to Crimea. “. In fact, it is in occupied Crimea, in Perevalne, where the base camp of the Bear Brigade is located, which Viktor Yermolaev assures that he has not “no connection with the Russian Ministry of Defense.”
However, contacts with some of its executives have been confirmed. On 5 April 2023, Younous-bek Evkourov, the Russian Deputy Minister of Defence, who today oversees the entire Kremlin military system on the African continent, personally came to the Perevalne 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 due to payment problems for some fighters. This is complete nonsense, Viktor Yermolayev answers. We are leaving because the enemy [l’armée ukrainienne] entered Russia. We will return to Africa as soon as we have finished the work at home. »
Present in Burkina Faso since the end of 2023 at the request of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, eager to further protect his regime following an attempted coup, the Russian military and paramilitary forces are involved, among other things, in training soldiers and cooperating with intelligence services.
The Bear Brigade members carried out missions to protect high-profile figures. According to Viktor Yermolaev, the Russian ambassador, but most likely also Captain Traoré himself. On 25 July, in Ouagadougou, the head of the junta was filmed for the first time, in an amateur video, surrounded and protected by masked Russian paramilitaries in fatigues, at least one of whom wore the Bear Brigade emblem on his arm.
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