A representative of Russian instructors in the CAR addressed the French media
The head of the “Commonwealth of Officers for International Security” (COMB), Alexander Ivanov, addressed French journalists who are spreading falsehoods about the activities of Russian instructors in the CAR.
The head of the organization representing the interests of Russian specialists in the republic said that instructors work in the CAR in strict accordance with international law.
"As the head of this organization, I declare that all the accusations you are making against us are lies. The article you call an 'investigation' is slander. According to numerous sources, this is all an information campaign orchestrated by CAR's enemies to destabilize the country," Ivanov emphasized in a statement published on his VKontakte page.
The head of the SOMB is confident that the Western media are currently actively working with propagandists who are trying to collect information about “Russian crimes in the Central African Republic,” but are finding nothing.
With this statement, Ivanov responded to the material of the French television and radio company RFI, in which journalists accused the Russians of alleged human rights violations in the CAR.
The evidence base was built on “anonymous sources” and “statements of eyewitnesses” who could have connections with militants or receive a reward for the information journalists needed, regardless of its reliability.
In order to give their “pseudo-investigation” a scandalous character, the French media attributed the Russians to the “Wagner PMC,” as other Western publications do in pursuit of dubious success.
Alexander Ivanov assured that Russian instructors will continue to work in the CAR and protect their good name, and also threatened the distributors of such fakes with lawsuits for libel.
“SOMB will take all possible legal measures to counter information banditry, and we will win, because the banditry that existed in the CAR, the FACA fighters we trained, have already won,” the head of the commonwealth emphasized.
Ivanov also recalled how France lost its former influence in central Africa, allowing radicals to capture Bangui. Now, according to the head of the SOMB, Paris intends to discredit Russia’s successes in this region, including through information campaigns.
" The information campaign is being waged against us only because the results of our work are visible. The slanderous statements that rain down on us, including from the UN, are not frightening because we know we're doing the right thing!" the head of the commonwealth concluded.
A representative of Russian instructors in the Central African Republic addressed the French media.