By Bond Robertson 
Yevgeny Prigozhin is not a man who is inclined to go back on his words.
The head of the infamous Wagner Group has been singled out several times for being extremely honest and direct about what is happening in Ukraine, which, among other things, has led to reprimands from the top.
The man known as “Putin’s Chef” is also known for his somewhat unconventional speaking style. He himself claims that “Butcher of Putin” would be a better nickname.
Screamer: – Look at them, damn it!
In a new interview full of gestures and swear words, he may have revealed too much about Wagner’s activities.
During the interview with pro-Russian military blogger Konstantin Dolgov, Prigozhin made no secret of his discontent with how the war in Ukraine was being conducted.
But it was not what Prigozhin said that was supposed to reveal much.
32 countries marked
The interview takes place in what appears to be Wagner’s principal’s office.
Behind him hangs a map of the world with several map pins attached to different countries scattered across Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. And it is precisely these map pins and their location that attract attention.
Reveller: It was this map and the needles in it that would reveal more than Wagner’s boss probably wanted. Photo: Telegram / Press Office of Prigozhin.
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The Russian Independent Newspaper firstka They discovered that the signs were color-coded, and that a total of 32 map pins had been stuck in countries across large parts of the world.
And there is hardly any country that Prigozhin has traveled to on holiday that is marked.
African presence
Journalists in the Russian newspaper discovered that the color codes coincide with the ongoing military operations of the Wagner Group, and may also show the mercenary group’s future plans for more countries.
In all, the map pins were in three different colors: red, white, and green.
Seven red pins have been installed in seven African countries: Mali, Mozambique, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Benin.
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By comparing the markings to news from the Wagner group, Verstka concluded that the red needles matched the Existence Prigozhin’s mercenaries.
The Kremlin singled out the continent as one of its own major foreign policy prioritiesIts tentacles have sunk into the continent in recent years.
Wagner’s soldiers worked in many of these countries in the past years.
In Africa: This undated photo from the French Army shows what are believed to be Wagner mercenaries in Mali, where the group has been operating since December 2021. Photo: French Army via AP/NTB.
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Slaughter 500
In Mali, the group has provided security services to the authoritarian regime since arriving in the country in December 2021, and has since established close ties with the government.
The authorities in Mali are sitting in the Russian trap and are completely dependent on the Russian state. Once the Russians are in the theater of war, it is impossible to get them out again. It also happened in the Central African Republic, analyst Samuel Ramani at the think tank The Royal United Services Institute tells the BBC.
In a short period of time, the group was alleged to have committed a number of atrocities.
According to anyone United Nations report Since last week, mercenaries are said to have been behind the Mora massacre in Mali, where more than 500 men, women and children were killed in five days.
The US government also accused Wagner of using the country get weapons For use in the war in Ukraine.
Many experts fear that the mercenaries will consolidate their control over Burkina Faso, after the departure of hundreds of French soldiers. The military council expelled them Who rules the country.
The White House also expressed concern about the group’s presence in Sudan.
Wagner can use these countries to destabilize many countries in the region, including Ivory Coast. It appears in an intelligence document purportedly part of the Pentagon Leaks, which made international headlines earlier this year.
Leaked: This document was said to have been written by US intelligence and shows that they suspected Ivory Coast could be a future target for Wagner. Like other media, Dagbladet has not succeeded in verifying the document. Image: screenshot.
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Transcontinental presence
White map pins indicate the 13 countries on the map, among them Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Guinea. According to Verstka, this is a country where political strategists work to elect pro-Russian politicians to important posts.
The Zimbabwean authorities did not condemn Moscow for invading Ukraine, and have since welcomed it Russian oil and wheat In exchange for the minerals, oil and wheat they had previously imported from Ukraine.
In addition to Africa, many white ticks are also found across Southeast Asia and South America, in countries such as Myanmar and Ecuador.
The Wagner Group has also tried to buy weapons from Myanmar, according to the head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Service, Kyrylo Budanov.
– There are attempts to buy weapons through third countries and withdraw weapons on a large scale. He told the state-owned news channel that they are now trying with Myanmar Voice of America.
Unknown activity
There are also 12 green flags attached to the map, but Verstka wrote that they couldn’t say what kind of activity they could designate.
These colors characterize both African countries such as South Africa, Ethiopia, Gabon and Nigeria, as well as countries on other continents such as Colombia and Bangladesh.
No activity has been reported by Wagner or agents associated with Prigozhin in these countries.