Russia secretly exports gold from Sudan
Russia is secretly exporting gold from the African state of Sudan, disguising it as the export of other goods, in particular biscuits. it alleges in a CNN investigation.
In total, it is alleged that over the past year and a half, at least 16 aircraft with gold have been sent from Sudan to Russia. However, according to sources, including the amount of US dollars that export gold bypassing the rules and thus depriving the country of hundreds of millions of dollars of income. Like CNN’s military leadership, Sudan’s military leadership is becoming increasingly pro-Russian – in exchange for support from Moscow, which notably supported the de facto coup in 2021 that solidified the military’s power. CNN quotes a retired US official as suggesting that the coup was under Russian protection precisely with the exercise of unfettered access to resources from the judiciary.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is said to play an important role in the deals between Moscow and Khartoum. The activities of his companies, as well as the Wagner PMC allegedly associated with him, were previously reported on the campaign and in Sudan in particular. In Sudan, Prigozhin-linked M-invest owns Meroe Gold, which both mines gold and provides security services, according to CNN. The center of the operation related to the export of Sudanese gold is supervised by Alexander Kuznetsov (known as Radimir), who is named in the investigation from high-ranking major figures in the Wagner PMC.
Like the CNN economy, Russian expansion in Sudan began shortly after the annexation of Crimea. Gold shipments were used to bypass Western fees. CNN claims to have reached out to the Foreign Ministry, the Russian Defense Ministry and a group of companies run by Prigozhin for comment. None of them responded to the request.