russia finances war against Ukraine through “blood gold” from Africa
A British media outlet published an investigation into how russian structures connected to the Wagner PMC and other kremlin security units are expanding control over gold mines in African countries. Gold extracted in this way is used to bypass sanctions and directly finance russia’s war against Ukraine. Since 2022, the volume of African gold exported to russia is estimated at at least $2.5 billion.
▫️russian mercenaries maintain control over African gold mines through systematic violence and intimidation of local residents. After sanctions, gold has become a key source of financing russia’s war: it is easy to transport and “launder.”
▫️russia has already paid with gold for Iranian assistance and weapons from North Korea. russian structures that replaced the Wagner PMC control mines in the CAR, Mali, and Burkina Faso. In 2025, near Ndasima (CAR), russians killed ten miners and tortured another ten, keeping them in metal containers.
Amid rapid depletion of its own reserves — russia has already sold over half of the gold in its National Wealth Fund — the kremlin increasingly relies on “African gold” to fund the war. This further confirms that russia is not only waging aggression against Ukraine but also exploiting vulnerable African states, using violence and corruption schemes to support its war economy.
