CAR President Touadéra Meets Putin in Moscow

Is Russia's CAR partnership legitimate cooperation or a predatory operation exploiting resources and people?

Published 1 day ago

CAR President Touadéra Meets Putin in Moscow

story

Above: Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera, shake hands during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Jan. 16, 2025. Image credit: Vgenia Novozhenina/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Russia narrative

Russia's partnership with the Central African Republic represents legitimate bilateral cooperation that has delivered tangible security gains and humanitarian relief. Moscow helped stabilize the country during the critical December elections, supplied essential grain shipments and is expanding cooperation in energy and agriculture through projects designed to benefit both sides without placing major financial burdens on its own budget.

Modern Diplomacy TASS RT

Anti-Russia narrative

Russia's expansion into the Central African Republic masks a predatory operation tied to Kremlin-connected oligarchs — using mercenaries to extract mineral wealth under the guise of security assistance. The same shadowy network has been accused of recruiting vulnerable Africans through deceptive job offers, only to send them to fight in Ukraine, turning economic desperation into cannon fodder on distant battlefields.

Martin Plaut website on Substack CNN Breitbart