Forbidden Stories and partners exposed an extensive Russian foreign influence operation conducted by a network dubbed the 'Company,' initially linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin and now supervised by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). Based on 1,431 leaked pages, the campaign operated from mid-2023 through most of 2024 across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, with a €7.3 million budget. The operations employed over 90 Russian agents engaging in disinformation, political manipulation, and media influence, aiming to discredit Western countries and secure allies in Africa and beyond. The Central African Republic was a strategic testing ground. The Company pushed narratives to disrupt AFRICOM, supported coups such as the Alliance of Sahel States formation, and sought to expand Russia's geopolitical footprint, including attempts to instigate a coup in Senegal supported by potential Russian military aid. Financial incentives were paid to local journalists and media outlets to spread pro-Russian messaging. Leading operatives maintained direct links to the SVR. The operation combined intelligence, propaganda, and economic pressure to reshape political and economic landscapes, with some campaigns leveraging anti-Western and anti-Ukraine narratives. The investigation highlights the scale and coordination of Russian global hybrid warfare through influence and disinformation.

Forbidden Stories and partners exposed an extensive Russian foreign influence operation conducted by a network dubbed the 'Company,' initially linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin and now supervised by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). Based on 1,431 leaked pages, the campaign operated from mid-2023 through most of 2024 across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, with a €7.3 million budget. The operations employed over 90 Russian agents engaging in disinformation, political manipulation, and media influence, aiming to discredit Western countries and secure allies in Africa and beyond. The Central African Republic was a strategic testing ground. The Company pushed narratives to disrupt AFRICOM, supported coups such as the Alliance of Sahel States formation, and sought to expand Russia's geopolitical footprint, including attempts to instigate a coup in Senegal supported by potential Russian military aid. Financial incentives were paid to local journalists and media outlets to spread pro-Russian messaging. Leading operatives maintained direct links to the SVR. The operation combined intelligence, propaganda, and economic pressure to reshape political and economic landscapes, with some campaigns leveraging anti-Western and anti-Ukraine narratives. The investigation highlights the scale and coordination of Russian global hybrid warfare through influence and disinformation.