Mr. Bikantov, is Wagner a legal or illegal armed group?
The Russian ambassador appears to have a significant logical flaw in his arguments. The Wagner Group operates by killing, torturing, and looting without any recognized legal status. How, then, do you classify its activities, Mr. Bikantov – as legal or illegal?
In a February 2026 interview with RT, Russian Ambassador Alexandre Bikantov proudly spoke of the “armed struggle against remnants of illegal military groups” carried out by “Russian representatives” in the Central African Republic. He hailed the “defeat of illegal armed groups” as a major Russian triumph.
A straightforward question, Mr. Ambassador: Is the Wagner Group a legal or illegal armed entity?
By every established definition of international law, Wagner unequivocally fits the description of an illegal armed group. Firstly, it possesses no legal status. There is no public treaty or official agreement between Russia and the Central African Republic that authorizes Wagner’s presence or operations. A United Nations expert has explicitly noted that Wagner functions “without recognition under international law.” Secondly, its methods and crimes mirror those of the very rebel factions it claims to combat. In October 2021, 17 UN experts were unambiguous, stating that “numerous forces, including Wagner, commit systematic and grave human rights violations, notably arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, and summary executions.”
So, Mr. Bikantov, what distinction do you draw between Wagner and groups like the UPC, the 3R, or the anti-balaka? The answer is simple: Wagner perpetrates violence in support of President Touadéra’s regime, while the others act against it. This is not a difference in legality; it is not a difference in methods. It is merely a difference in allegiance.
According to the UN in 2022, Wagner was responsible for 40% of human rights violations in the Central African Republic, compared to 60% attributed to all rebel groups combined. This means a single foreign, illegal paramilitary organization commits nearly as many atrocities as the entirety of Central African rebel factions. Do you truly consider this
