Serbian mercenaries at Putin company

Specifically, the link between these companies brings to a circle of close people with Russian President Vladimir Putin and their relationship with the Central African Republic was also confirmed early this year when a plane arrived at the country with over a ton of weapons. At the same time 175 mercenaries came from Russia.

The investigation of journalists was supported by the Centre for Investigation led by Russian persecutor Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Putin's old enemy, who had once been in prison, in Russia.

He had long ago written on his Facebook account how journalists worked on the “Russian Mercedes project”.

Their deaths focused public attention on the Russian's growing interest in Africa and the Kremlin's connection with Russian private companies combining security operations with mining and similar ones. Journalists were investigating Russian military work PMC Wagner. They did not announce their arrival to the Russian embassy or officials in Africa.

They were not allowed to visit <x0mercenars” south of Bangui, formerly belonging to the former ruler of that country, Jean Bedel Bocasi.

Instead, they headed north of the gold mines in Mediation, which were directed and guarded by Russian contractors. But they did not hold back. They were killed 20 miles [32 km] north of the city of Sibu by a man with a turban that required those in Arabic to turn over their vehicle and equipment. Only their driver survived.

PMC Wagner is a secret company without a familiar address, phone number or official data recruiting hundreds of former Russian soldiers, mainly specialists. Over the past few years, they are increasingly present in conflict areas, the Kosovo Press broadcasts. Last year, the company was imposed under sanctions by the US due to links to separatists in eastern Ukraine.

They also played a major role in Syria and a dozen mercenaries were killed or injured in American attacks in February. Their targets were one of Syria's richest oil fields in the region of Deir Azzor. The company has not commented on these claims.

Russian independent media Fontanka has discovered that Wagner sends troops to Syria and has participated directly in Palmyra's liberation battles in April 2016. Although there was no official existence at the time, journalist Kootkov found that Serbian “ceta” of Wagner also participated in the battles for Palmyra.

The group didn't have a big meaning. They told me it was a group of 10 or 20 people. Now sources say there are some people in Wagner from the Balkans, but since they had nothing for me during the investigation, I didn't ask for their citizenship “, Kootkov said.

One of the few Serbs appointed at Wagner is Davor Savicic, a Bosnia and Herzegovina citizen with a permanent stay in the Russian town of Himka. He had already denied his work in Wagner for decades in Serbian media and repeatedly resumed his life in Himki, where he was engaged in construction work.

The construction is my only job, and I have nothing to do with war,” Savic told Vecernje Novosti.

However, Kootkov says Savic was part of Wagner and has proof of that. It claims that Savicic was seen by several witnesses at the training camp in the Russian village of Molkinu, the informal headquarters of the Wagner company.

The Inina fields near Palmyra have been liberated by Wagner members, and among them were Serb mercenaries. Russian independent media found Wagner was sending troops to Syria and that they were directly involved in the efforts to free Palmyra.

Moscow's goals in one of the poorest and not favoured countries in the world are unclear. Are they there to exploit the country's mineral riches, which may also include uranium or to place the Russian flag in the heart of Africa in a country limited to six other countries? As in Syria, perhaps Russian political ambition is combined with a desire for profit.