Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin made global headlines in June, reappeared in Africa on Monday with a brief video message. In it, he claimed that Wagner is “making Russia even greater on all continents, and making Africa even more free. We bring justice and happiness to the African people.”
The mercenary boss’ return coincided with the emergence of a new campaign on Russian state media programs, where pro-Kremlin pundits and lawmakers have been pushing for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “go global” with his “special military operation” in Ukraine.
During his Monday appearance on 60 Minutes, State Duma member Andrey Gurulyov declared that “Today, the whole world is a special military operation!” Throughout the segment, the lawmaker and other panelists claimed that Russia is not interested in peace accords—a view that is frequently echoed on many pro-government TV and radio programs.