Vladimir Putin is thought to be raking in £80million a month laundering blood-soaked African gold as offerings from the Wagner Group are sent to the Russian leader.
The Russian President has reportedly been tucking it away in the war chest to fund his invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
Mercenaries from the group formerly headed by close ally Yevgeny Prigozhin are plundering African nations and their resources to finance bloodshed elsewhere in the world. Reports indicate the group are storming through the continent, providing a "massive source of revenue" to Putin.
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The Blood Gold Report alleges the Wagner Group is using "violence and instability" across Africa as a way of firming up payments to the Kremlin.
Study author Jessica Berlin said: "Wagner’s operations in Africa spread violence and instability across the continent and generate millions of dollars in monthly revenue for the Kremlin, financing both Russia’s war on Ukraine and its hybrid warfare against democracies worldwide.
"Every government opposed to Russia’s crimes must take action to stop the Blood Gold trade, and pressure gold mining companies and investors to do the same." Her comments come as fellow author David Clement warned those aiding the gold grift must be held accountable.
He said: "Western companies who facilitate this system of Blood Gold need to be held accountable. It’s not acceptable to do business with Russia, and it’s not acceptable to prop up the Blood Gold system that delivers billions to Russia.
"If these companies won’t follow their own CSR policies and withdraw from Mali immediately, they should be forced to do so by their investors, or else by Government sanctions."
Further comments from the report indicate Putin and Kremlin heads have made a worrying near-£2billion since first invading Ukraine. That massive sum of cash is from gold mines in the Central African Republic alone.
The Wagner Group was previously exposed for pushing into African conflicts in April of this year, with the move occurring just months before now-dead Wagner leader Prigozhin mounted a failed coup against Putin.
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