How ‘blood gold’ from Africa is funding Russia’s war on Ukraine

December 27, 20235:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageA new report focuses on Wagner’s operations in Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic.

Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP via Getty Images

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Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP via Getty Images

A new report focuses on Wagner’s operations in Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic.

Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP via Getty Images

A new report details how the Wagner mercenary group uses gold mining in Africa to funnel money to the Kremlin.
According to The Blood Gold Report, Wagner has laundered some $2.5 billion to Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year in an effort to support its war effort.
This is in spite of global sanctions that have shut off the Russian economy from much of the world.
The report was produced by the Consumer Choice Center, as well as Democracy 21 — a non-profit that tracks corruption and advocates for government transparency.
Jessica Berlin, a political analyst & co-author of ..

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2023 was a year of big anniversaries

December 23, 20236:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageMartin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Activists marked 60 years since the march in 2023.

AFP via Getty Images

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Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Activists marked 60 years since the march in 2023.

AFP via Getty Images

A lot of big news happened in 2023, but it was also a year to remember things that happened in other years.
That’s right — we’re diving into history with a year-end roundup of anniversaries.
It was 50 years ago that hip-hop began at a Bronx party. Exactly one month later, a brutal military coup in the South American country of Chile shocked many Americans into political action.
It’s been 60 years since 250,000 people gathered in Washington,..

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Voting for president in Congo begins as fears persist over safety, credible election

December 20, 20233:20 AM ET
Enlarge this imageA woman looks for her name at a voting station in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Moses Sawasawa/AP

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Moses Sawasawa/AP

A woman looks for her name at a voting station in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Moses Sawasawa/AP

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo headed to the polls Wednesday to vote for president as authorities scrambled to finalize preparations in an election facing steep logistical and security challenges, and voting starting nearly 2 1/2 hours late.
Some 44 million people — almost half the population — were expected to vote, but many, including several million displaced by conflict in the vast country’s east, could struggle to cast their ballots. The fighting has prevented 1.5 million people from registering to vote.
Voter Raymond Yuma in the capital of Kinshasa said he’s voting for hope. “When you ..

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Ukraine: Air Defense Downs 34 of 35 Russian Drones

Ukraine: Air Defense Downs 34 of 35 Russian Drones

Firefighters work at a site of a warehouse heavily damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, released Dec. 21, 2023. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv region/Handout via REUTERS)

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