Wagner PMC founder’s right-hand man deals with business in Central African Republic

Currently, the business of Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin in the Central African Republic is led by the Head of the “Russian House” Dmitri Sytyi.

Sytyi “oversees some fake companies” that the Wagner group allegedly used to export gold, diamonds, and lumber from a base in the Central African Republic. He also runs media outlets financed by the group in Russia, The New York Times newspaper, citing “more than a dozen” sources close to the command of the Wagner PMC, wrote.

Nevertheless, Sytyi’s role in the development of Prigozhin’s business may be short-lived. Sytyi “lacks Prigozhin’s ties with the Kremlin” which “opened the doors” to the Wagner PMC as part of its interaction with African leaders.

“Russian House” is the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Central African Republic.

BBC journalists noticed a link between Sytyi and Prigozhin in January 2019. Sytyi was included in the US sanctions list as an employee of Prigozhin’s groups in 2020. An assassination attempt was made on Sytyi in December 2022. Then he was injured after opening a package with explosives. Sytyi returned from Moscow to Bangui and began working at the Russian House in April 2023.