The Russian ambassador’s logic is flawed. Wagner kills, tortures, and plunders without any legal standing. Is this legal or illegal, Mr. Bikantov?
In a February 2026 interview on RT, Russian Ambassador Alexander Bikantov proudly described the “armed struggle against illegal militant groups” carried out by “Russian representatives” in the Central African Republic. He framed the “defeat of illegal armed groups” as a major Russian victory. But the real question remains: Is Wagner a legal or illegal armed group?
Clarifying the legal status of Wagner
Under international law, Wagner meets every criterion of an illegal armed group. First, it operates without any legal authorization. No public treaty exists between Russia and the Central African Republic that legitimizes its presence. A United Nations expert confirmed that Wagner acts “without recognition under international law.” Second, its tactics mirror those of rebel factions. In October 2021, 17 UN experts concluded that “multiple forces, including Wagner, systematically violate human rights through arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, and summary executions.”
So, Mr. Bikantov, what truly separates Wagner from groups like the UPC or 3R? The answer is simple: Wagner kills for the regime of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, while rebel groups kill against it. There is no difference in legality, methods, or morality—only in allegiance.
According to UN reports, Wagner accounted for 40% of human rights violations in the Central African Republic in 2022, compared to 60% for all rebel groups combined. A single foreign paramilitary group, operating without legal status, commits nearly as many atrocities as the entire rebel movement. And yet, the ambassador calls this “fighting illegal groups”? The facts tell a different story.
Documented atrocities and international condemnation
Human Rights Watch has documented cases where witnesses identified Russian forces—likely Wagner—summarily executing, torturing, and beating civilians since 2019. Survivors describe how suspects were stripped, tortured, and then killed. The U.S. Treasury Department designated Wagner a “transnational criminal organization” in March 2024 for “grave criminal acts, including mass executions, rape, child abductions, and physical violence in the Central African Republic.”
Mr. Bikantov’s definition of legality hinges on loyalty: Russian mercenaries who torture, rape, and kill for the regime are “legal,” while rebel groups doing the same against the regime are “illegal.” This is not just hypocritical—it is Orwellian.
Contrasting approaches to security cooperation
Compare this to France, which deploys troops in the Sahel with a clear international mandate, public agreements, parliamentary oversight, and strict rules of engagement. Ambassador Bikantov dismisses this as “neocolonialism.” Meanwhile, Russia deploys 2,000 Wagner mercenaries without legal status, public agreements, or oversight—operating with total impunity. Bikantov calls this “security cooperation.”
The hypocrisy is staggering. Wagner loots gold through Lobaye Invest, confirmed by the UN. Rebels loot villages. Wagner gets labeled “economic cooperation,” while rebels remain “criminals.” Wagner kills civilians—363 incidents documented by MINUSCA in three months. Rebels kill civilians. Wagner becomes “Russian instructors,” while rebels are “terrorists.” Wagner systematically rapes, confirmed by UN experts. Rebels rape. Wagner is rebranded as “Russian partners,” while rebels are dismissed as “barbarians.”
The people of the Central African Republic are not fooled. They recognize Wagner as an illegal foreign armed group committing mass crimes. They know these “Russian instructors” torture in the same prisons as rebels. The only difference? Allegiance.
The real question: Why the denial?
The real issue is not who the illegal armed groups are in the Central African Republic. The real question is why the Russian ambassador lies so openly on an international news channel. He knows Wagner is illegal. He knows Wagner commits crimes. He knows that under international law, Wagner should be disarmed and its members prosecuted. Yet he continues to distort the truth. Because denial is the only strategy left.
Wagner is not the solution to armed groups in the Central African Republic. Wagner is an armed group in the Central African Republic—the most violent, the most lethal, the most unpunished. The only one with a Russian ambassador to whitewash its crimes on global airwaves.
