The Africa Corps () is a Russian paramilitary group controlled and managed by the Russian government, to support Russian political influence and Russia-aligned governments in Africa. The Corps largely took over the operations of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC) in Africa, by subsuming and rebranding its structures.
The Africa Corps was established by the Russian Ministry of Defence, soon after the death and possible decapitation of Wagner's leadership by Russian authorities in 2023, when a plane with its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, crashed. In doing so, the MoD made way for a full government takeover of the PMC scene in Russia, after the prior rivalry between the Russian MoD and Wagner.
The formation cooperates with other government-controlled structures, like the "Bears Brigade" in Africa. Konstantin Mirzayants, a purported leader of Redut, is reportedly closely involved in the MoD's operations in Africa and the creation of the Africa Corps.
UK Defence ministry claimed without evidence that Africa Corps was also deployed to fight for Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in the 2024 Kharkiv offensive.
On 3 December 2024, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed that Russia planned to deploy the Africa Corps to help Syrian government forces against offensives by Syrian rebels, which captured Aleppo and many other important cities and settlements, threatening Russian influence in Syria.However, on December 8, before the Corps has a chance to be deployed, Bashar al-Assad fled Syria as Damascus fell to the Syrian rebels, dealing a critical blow to Russian influence in the Middle East.
The Corps' creation is part of a broader Russian strategy to increase its influence in Africa, where it competes with the United States as part of a broader geopolitical rivalry. The Africa Corps operates through a mix of mercenaries and volunteers, and estimates of its size vary.
The Africa Corps has a smaller and more integrated role compared to Wagner, focusing on providing military support, training, and urban counterterrorism cooperation with local Russia-aligned governments in countries like Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and the Central African Republic. The Russian government aims to use this entity to project influence, filling the security vacuum left by the withdrawal of Western powers, especially France, from the Sahel region. Russia also seeks to gain control over strategic resources like uranium, particularly in Niger, as well as leverage migration routes for geopolitical purposes.
In November 2024, the United Kingdom sanctioned the Africa Corps along with the Espanola formation and 81st Special Forces Brigade. According to foreign secretary David Lammy, the goal is to counter illegal Russian activities, hinder the destabilisation of African countries and to interrupt supply for the Russian war effort in Ukraine.
In December 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defence deployed 1000 soldiers from the Africa Corps to Mali, while 1500 from the Wagner Group commanded by Ruslan Sergeevich Zlobin were still there. The Wagnerians were deployed mainly in the north of the country, while the Africa Corps was concentrated in Bamako and the centre.
On 6 June 2025, the government-controlled Wagner Group announced leaving Mali, with the Africa Corps continuing Russian operations to back the Malian military junta. The Africa Corps then became the only Russian force present in the country. Several Wagner leaders, however, moved over to the Africa Corps with some of their men, including Andrei Ivanov, known as 'Kep', Ruslan Zaprudsky, known as "Rusich" and Alexander Kuznetsov, known as 'Ratibor'. According to US officials, around 2000 soldiers of both paramilitary groups were located in Mali.
On 24 January 2024, military personnel of Russia's Africa Corps, which were intended to replace Wagner, arrived in Burkina Faso to provide security, including for Traoré. It was reportedly planned that the 100 personnel would be expanded to 300. It was revealed that a military base for the Africa Corps was established in Loumbila, north-east of Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou.
According to some Malian refugees, the Africa Corps has committed atrocities such as burning down of villages, gang rape and sexual slavery, and other abuses such as beheadings and abductions. In early December 2025, a 14-year-old girl claimed to be raped by Africa Corps fighters who burst into her family's tent in Mali.