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Washington (CNN) A mountain of classified Pentagon documents leaked underscores US fears about the growing influence of China and Russia in Latin America and Africa. Among the details are references to a Russian mercenary group, his Wagner, seeking a contract to fight Haitian criminal gangs and a Chinese company in talks to build a deep-sea port in Nicaragua. there is.
A U.S. military document describes extensive use by Russian intelligence services to shape public opinion in Africa, including spreading conspiracy theories about U.S. biological laboratories, with the aim of “realigning” African countries with Russia. describes a propaganda scheme.
Another document cites Russia’s support for Brazil’s efforts to establish a group of “probably fair” countries to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
The document sheds new light on the global struggle between the United States and its adversaries to win public opinion in developing countries.
Many of the documents, which appear to have been produced by the Intelligence Division of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon’s most senior uniformed leader, were posted on the social media platform Discord over a month ago. , prompting the Pentagon and Justice Departments to make public the investigation. It’s unclear who was behind the leak.
Senior Biden administration officials have expressed concerns about Russian and Chinese influence in Africa and elsewhere, which could take the form of arms sales, infrastructure projects or media campaigns.
During a trip to Africa in March meant to boost U.S. support for a continent facing Chinese and Russian influence, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said the Wagner Group had been criticized for its violence and unrest in Africa. accused of aiding.
“Where Wagner is, bad things always follow,” said Blinken, who visited the West African country of Niger.
gradually remove western influence
Russia has long-standing security and military ties with several African countries dating back to the Soviet era, said Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, director of the Africa program at the Center for International and Strategic Studies. But Russian agents like the Wagner Group have been pushing in recent years to close security gaps in war-torn countries such as the Central African Republic (CAR), Disolere said. rice field.
“This comes at a time when Russia is trying to carve out its own sphere of influence in Africa,” he told CNN.
Many Americans may not have heard of the Central African Republic, but it is a landlocked country with a population of about 5.5 million people, which has seen Russia and China undermine Western influence in recent years. It is one of many poor and developing countries trying to
Another leaked document shows that a Wagner Group employee named Vitaliy Perfilyev pitched an anti-U.S. media campaign to officials in the Central African Republic to counter a reported U.S. plan to deport Wagner. A 2019 CNNTA study found that Russia’s move to exert influence in the Central African Republic is funded by a Wagner-controlled investment fund that funds propaganda and trains military recruits. I understand.
The US is concerned about Wagner’s characterization elsewhere in the document.
As of late February, Wagner’s associates were planning a “discreet trip to Haiti” to evaluate a potential contract with the Haitian government to combat the criminal gangs that have paralyzed the Caribbean nation. Was.
The geopolitical implications of Russia’s attack on Ukraine are another throughline in the leaked documents.
Nicaragua still sees Russia as a “major security partner” but has “expanded defense ties” with China since the Ukraine war, read another leaked US document.
China “does not want” military access to Nicaragua, but the Nicaraguan government “would probably consider providing” naval access to Beijing in exchange for Chinese economic investment, the documents said.
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