A vast Russian disinformation campaign targeting Ivory Coast and seeking to discredit Ukraine has been uncovered following a major leak of confidential documents from a shadowy network of agents known as The Company. The operation, detailed in 76 leaked internal documents analysed by a consortium of international journalists including The FRANCE 24 Observers team and The Continent, reveals how Moscow’s influence machinery operates in West Africa.
The documents, spanning from early 2024, describe how the network — initially run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late founder of the Wagner Group, before coming under the auspices of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) — carried out systematic propaganda operations targeting the Ukrainian Embassy in Abidjan.
## How the Disinformation Campaign Worked
The operation involved multiple tactics. In May 2024, a fake news story began spreading on social media claiming that the Ukrainian Embassy was recruiting Ivorian citizens to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war. Fabricated recruitment posters, styled in Ukraine’s yellow and blue colours, offered volunteers a 3,000 dollar bonus and European residency. The Ukrainian Embassy in Abidjan formally denied any involvement, stating it had not carried out any such activity.
The disinformation then migrated to traditional media. A Ghanaian news website published an article — in a paid promotional section — claiming the recruitment posters had been spotted on the streets of Abidjan. According to the leaked financial documents, the Company paid 700 dollars for the publication of that article alone.
The Embassy does not recruit army volunteers, the Ukrainian Embassy said in a statement. This activity does not fall under its auspices.
## A Multi-Country African Influence Operation
The Ivory Coast operation was not an isolated effort. The leaked documents describe a continent-wide initiative called the Africa Project, with a stated aim of supporting political leaders loyal to Russia, countering Western influence, and protecting Moscow’s interests across nearly 30 countries.
Ivory Coast was identified as a promising country for launching operations. The documents show that between May and September 2024 alone, the network carried out four influence operations or disinformation campaigns in Ivory Coast, three of which explicitly targeted the Ukrainian Embassy.
The Company also financed the publication of 49 articles aimed at Ivorians in 22 media outlets as part of an operation called Project Magadan. According to the documents, the organisation spent approximately 39,800 dollars to get these articles published — roughly 631 dollars per article.
Journalists who published these materials told investigators they had no idea they were written by or connected to a Russian intelligence service. One Ivorian journalist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described publishing 18 such articles without knowing their true origin.
At my level, I didn’t receive the sums that you are talking about, the journalist told the investigation team. I often published these articles in good faith without wanting to participate in Russian propaganda.
## The Effectiveness Question
Despite the scale of the operation, experts offered mixed assessments of its effectiveness. Marc-André Boisvert, an analyst with communications firm Cronos Europe, said the campaigns provoked very little reaction and had no significant impact on Ivorian opinion.
Ivorians are more immune to these kinds of campaigns, which are sometimes sort of botched, Boisvert said.
Still, the leak has prompted concern among governments and international organisations. The scale and sophistication of the operation — spanning social media, traditional media, and diplomatic targeting — illustrates how Russian influence networks have evolved since the Wagner era, becoming more discreet and more embedded in local media ecosystems.
For Ivory Coast, the revelation is an uncomfortable reminder of how easily foreign actors can exploit political divisions and weak media oversight to plant false narratives. The investigation has now been shared with relevant authorities.