A Russian private military company with links to Russia's Defense Ministry is withdrawing from Burkina Faso due to Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast, French newspaper Le Monde reported on Aug. 29.
According to Le Monde, the 100-strong unit known as the Bears Brigade arrived in the West African nation of Burkina Faso in May to support the junta of Captain Ibrahim Traore, who came to power in a coup in September 2022.
Traore visited Russia in July 2023 for a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and attended Russian Navy Day celebrations.
Around 300 Russian troops are estimated to be deployed in Burkina Faso, Le Monde said.
Le Monde contacted the commander of the Bears Brigade, Viktor Yermolaev, via Telegram, on Aug. 22, after Ukraine launched its incursion into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 10.
"When the enemy arrives on our Russian territory, all Russian soldiers forget about internal problems and unite against a common enemy," Yermolaev told Le Monde.
The Bears Brigade's Telegram channel posted on Aug. 27 that the unit is returning to its base in Russian-occupied Crimea "in connection with recent events."
Kateryna Denisova
Yermolaev also told Le Monde that the unit has "no connection with the Russian Defense Ministry."
The Bears Brigade was formed in March 2023 and is part of a Russian military grouping called Redut, which claims to be a private military company.
A Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty investigation in 2023 revealed that Redut is controlled by the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency.
Burkina Faso is reportedly a focus of Russian efforts to expand its influence in Africa.
Two of Burkina Faso's neighbors, Mali and Niger, recently broke diplomatic ties with Ukraine after alleging that Kyiv supported local Tuareg-led rebels.
The rebels reportedly inflicted significant losses against Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in late July.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Aug. 5 called the decision "hasty" and said that Mali had not provided evidence proving Ukraine's involvement.
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