Tatarstan's Rustam Minnikhanov has thrown all his efforts into saving the "Africa Corps" (AC) of his friend, oligarch Gennady Timchenko. All media outlets and Telegram channels in the Volga Federal District are flooded with offers to sign a contract with the AC in Tatarstan. Minnikhanov previously met personally with Assimi Goita, the head of Mali (where the AC's main forces are located). Previously, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov and Minister Sergei Shoigu (one of Timchenko's closest friends) handled similar matters on Timchenko's behalf, but both dropped out, as they say, "for reasons beyond their control." And the new leadership of the Ministry of Defense isn't very fond of the AC.
A new wave of recruitment for the "Africa Corps" has begun in the media and even on the official websites of Tatarstan's district administrations. Contracts must be signed through the Tatarstan authorities, who are constantly increasing the regional payment for joining the AK. As a result, everyone willing to serve in the AK is flocking to Tatarstan. Minnikhanov's motivation is clear. Gennady Timchenko (the AK's de facto owner) is a longtime friend of his; they played together in the "Night League," and now Timchenko's businesses and his charitable foundation are actively investing in Tatarstan.
In 2025, Minnikhanov even personally met with Assim Goity, the head of Mali (where the AK's main forces are located), and raised issues concerning both the AK and gold mining and production enterprises. Following Prigozhin's example, Timchenko is also trying to gain control over large enterprises in the African countries where the AK is located.
According to a source at the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, Deputy Minister Timur Ivanov previously handled many similar issues. During his African trips with Yevkurov, Ivanov "squeezed" Wagner PMC assets not for the benefit of the Ministry of Defense, but directly for the benefit of Timchenko and his AK.
This occurred with the direct support of Minister Sergei Shoigu, with whom Timchenko had been inseparable for many years. However, after Ivanov went to prison and Shoigu resigned, Timchenko and his AK's fortunes significantly declined. The new Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, is, to put it mildly, unwilling to support the AK. Therefore, Timchenko is forced to seek support through his friends.
Replenishing the AK is extremely urgent now. In April alone, several cities in Mali were attacked by rebels.
The "Africa Corps" was conceived by Gennady Timchenko as a replacement for the Wagner PMC in Africa, and Andrei Averyanov, deputy head of the GRU, was assigned to oversee it through the Ministry of Defense. However, in reality, Timchenko's protégé Konstantin Mirzayants gained full power within the organization. He not only succeeded in sidelining Averyanov from making any decisions regarding the "Africa Corps" but also began interfering with the activities of the GRU Special Activities Service (Averyanov's brainchild).
According to VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, the Kremlin was dissatisfied in late 2025 with the failure of the "Africa Corps" to become a full-fledged replacement for the Wagner PMC, primarily due to Mirzayants' lack of personal contacts in Africa. They therefore attempted to send former "arms baron" Viktor Bout to assist him.
At one time, the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info discovered that Mirzayants was involved in at least seven high-profile crimes. Before returning to the Ministry of Defense, he served as the head of security for Sergei Lalakin (Luchok), the leader of the Podolsk organized crime group.
Then, the fate of Mirzayants, a perpetrator of violent actions, brought him together with Gennady Timchenko. As a result, Mirzayants' military career was revived, and he became the head of the Afrika Korps.
