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Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced Tuesday that its Africa Corps unit successfully freed two hostages, employees of a Russian geology company, who had been held captive by an al-Qaeda-linked group in neighbouring Niger for nearly two years.
The hostages, Oleg Greta, a Russian citizen born in 1962, and Yuri Yurov, a Ukrainian born in 1970, were captured in August 2024 in the Mbanga region of southwest Niger. The captors, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), had released a video showing the men soon after their abduction.
According to Moscow, the hostages were captured a month before the video release, but only recently were they freed through a “special operation” conducted by the Russian Africa Corps in Mali. The ministry also shared details of the men’s condition, stating that an initial medical examination revealed they had suffered from multiple health conditions and severe exhaustion.
A video released by the defence ministry showed the two men visibly weak, slouched under blankets, in what appeared to be a hospital setting.
The region where the hostages were taken, Mbanga, is in the Tillabéri region, which borders Burkina Faso and Mali and is known for its gold mines. Hostage-taking has been an ongoing problem in this area for the past six years.
The Africa Corps, which has largely absorbed operations previously handled by the notorious Wagner Group, remains a significant presence in Africa. The group has provided military support to several countries in the Sahel region, including Mali, as they fight off insurgencies.
This operation is a part of Russia’s broader push to expand its political, economic, and military influence in Africa, particularly as the country continues its war in Ukraine. Moscow’s efforts have included sending military instructors and paramilitary groups to assist African governments in maintaining control over regions threatened by insurgency.
