When Ghana’s popular news site GhanaWeb published an article in July 2024 claiming that Ukraine was recruiting Ivorian citizens to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, offering ,000 bonuses and European residency, it went viral across West African social media. The article, decorated with yellow-and-blue flyers supposedly posted on the streets of Abidjan, seemed credible. It was not.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Abidjan confirmed it had nothing to do with the flyers. No such recruitment effort existed. The entire story was fabricated as part of a sophisticated, externally funded disinformation operation targeting Ivory Coast. Now, a major investigation has exposed the network behind it.
The Continent of the Operation
A joint investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers team, the pan-African media outlet The Continent, Forbidden Stories, All Eyes On Wagner, and RFI has revealed how a Russian intelligence-backed network codenamed "The Company" orchestrated the campaign. Investigators analysed 76 leaked internal documents — including financial reports, strategic plans, operational orders, and invoices — that were anonymously shared with The Continent.
The documents detail a systematic, well-funded operation targeting Ivory Coast between May and September 2024, with at least four distinct influence campaigns aimed at discrediting Ukraine and its embassy in Abidjan.
The Company: Russia’s Disinformation Machine
The investigation traces The Company to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late founder of the Wagner Group, who built the network as a parallel intelligence operation running influence campaigns across Africa and Latin America. After Prigozhin’s death in a plane crash in August 2023, the network reportedly came under the oversight of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
According to the leaked documents, The Company operates with approximately 90 specialists based primarily in St. Petersburg, conducting influence operations in nearly 30 countries. The organisation’s "Africa Project" map lists Ivory Coast as a "promising country" for operations — one where Russian strategists believe public opinion can be shifted against Western influence.
The Fake Recruitment Campaign
The most concrete example of The Company’s work in Ivory Coast was the fabrication of Ukrainian military recruitment materials. In May 2024, social media accounts began sharing images of flyers in Ukraine’s national colours offering Ivorian volunteers ,000 to join the fight against Russia. The GhanaWeb article published in July amplified the false claim to a wider audience.
According to the leaked financial records, The Company paid 00 to have the GhanaWeb article published. GhanaWeb later added a disclosure noting the content appeared in a paid promotional section of the site. The Ukrainian Embassy was forced to issue formal denials on multiple occasions, stating that embassy staff do not recruit soldiers and had seen no evidence of the flyers on Abidjan’s streets.
Project Magadan: Paying for Articles
Beyond fabricating documents, The Company also financed the placement of articles in legitimate-looking media. Codenamed "Project Magadan" — a reference to a Soviet-era Gulag system — the operation placed 49 articles in 22 media outlets across French-speaking West Africa between May and October 2024, spending approximately 9,800 (roughly €34,430), or an average of 31 per article.
Some articles were paid for directly, as with GhanaWeb. Others were submitted as "free content" by anonymous contributors operating through intermediaries. A journalist from one Ivorian outlet, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told investigators he had no idea the materials came from Russian intelligence operatives.
The Bigger Picture
The investigation reveals a systematic approach to manipulating African public opinion. The campaigns are designed not only to promote pro-Russian narratives but also to deepen existing political divisions — particularly in countries like Ivory Coast, which has its own internal political fractures between government supporters and opposition.
Digital analyst Marc-André Boisvert of Cronos Europe said the campaigns showed signs of poor execution in Ivory Coast, noting they "seem to be sort of botched." Nevertheless, the leaked documents confirm The Company views the country as a long-term investment — and is prepared to keep trying.