BANGUI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three Russian journalists were killed in Central African Republic, their news outlet said on Tuesday, in what local authorities said was an ambush by unidentified assailants.

Russian online news organization Investigation Control Centre (TsUR) said in a Facebook post the three journalists — identified as Orhan Dzhemal, Alexander Rastorguyev and Kirill Radchenko — were in the country on assignment.

Russia’s foreign ministry confirmed in a statement that three people with identification documents belonging to Dzhemal, Rastorguyev and Radchenko had been found dead and their bodies had been brought back to the capital Bangui.

TsUR said the journalists had been investigating the activities of the so-called Wagner group, an organization of private military contractors which, people with ties to the group have told Reuters, carried out clandestine combat missions on the Kremlin’s behalf in eastern Ukraine and Syria.

Local and international media have reported that Wagner operates in the country since Russia delivered light arms to the country’s security forces this year and deployed hundreds of military and civilian instructors to train them.

Reuters has been unable to verify the reports. Russian authorities deny that the Wagner group’s contractors are carrying out their orders.

Henri Depele, the mayor of the town of Sibut, around 200 km (125 miles) northeast of the capital Bangui, said the journalists were killed at around 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Monday. Their driver survived the attack.

“According to the driver’s explanations, when they were 23 km (14 miles) from Sibut ... armed men emerged from the bush and opened fire on the vehicle. The three journalists died instantly,” he said.

TsUR’s statement said the journalists flew into Central African Republic last Friday and that its last contact with them was on Sunday evening.

The organization is financed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Russian oil tycoon who was jailed on corruption charges and now lives outside Russia. He is one of the most vehement critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

TsUR has published a number of investigations alleging corruption by senior members of Putin’s entourage.

Central African Republic has been ravaged by violence, often fought along religious lines between predominantly Christian and Muslim militia, since a 2013 rebellion overthrew then-President Francois Bozize.

Most of the country is beyond the control of the Bangui government and a 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission has struggled to keep a lid on the violence.</s>MOSCOW -- Russian journalists who were killed in the Central African Republic had been working on an investigation into Russian private military contractors and the mining industries there, their editor said Wednesday. The reporters were killed in an ambush earlier in the week outside the town of Sibut in the CAR, according to local and Russian officials. CAR officials have only said that the reporters were found dead after being kidnapped by about 10 men wearing turbans and speaking only Arabic, but have yet to give further details.

Exiled Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky said on Facebook Wednesday that the journalists were collaborating with his investigative project on a story entitled "Russian mercenaries."

Andrei Konyakhin, the chief editor of Khodorkovsky's Investigations Management Center, said the reporters were trying to shed light on a private Russian security company operating in CAR as well as on Russia's interests in local diamond, gold and uranium mining industries. He said the men arrived in CAR on a tourist visa to work undercover and were planning to stay there for two weeks.

Ruslan Leviev, head of the investigative group Conflict Intelligence Team, identified the firm as Wagner and said it has also been active in Syria, eastern Ukraine and Sudan. The company is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a St. Petersburg entrepreneur dubbed "Putin's chef" for his close ties to the Kremlin.

Putin ally reportedly linked to Russian mercenaries who attacked U.S. allies

Konyakhin said the men who were killed -- Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Orkhan Dzhemal -- were traveling to the north of the country to talk to a United Nations representative there. The journalists were carrying several thousand U.S. dollars in cash to fund their stay in CAR, as well as valuable cameras and gear. Konyakhin said he did not know for sure what happened to the money and gear, but they were likely stolen.

Konyakhin told the Associated Press in a phone interview that the main working scenario at the moment was that the killings were the result of a robbery, but he is skeptical and thinks the attack could be linked to their investigation.

"This was done in a very demonstrative fashion," he said, wondering why the attackers didn't bother to cover up their tracks, hide the car and why they left the driver alive. "If they could have just taken everything from them, why kill them?"

Khodorkovsky on Vladimir Putin

Khodorkovsky, a former oil tycoon and once Russia's richest man, lives in London after spending 10 years in a Russian prison in a case widely seen as politicly motivated. From exile, Khodorkovsky supports a number of civil society groups and media projects in Russia, where authorities continue to investigate him on a variety of charges.</s>MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. Russian journalist Orkhan Dzhemal has been killed in the Central African Republic (CAR), Editor-in-Chief of Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) radio station Alexei Venediktov told TASS on Tuesday.

Dzhemal stayed in the Central African Republic together with cameraman Kirill Radchenko and producer Alexander Rastorguyev, he said.</s>The Russian journalists were making a documentary about the mysterious activities of a group of Kremlin-linked paramilitary mercenaries in the Central African Republic, which is undergoing brutal sectarian strife.

MOSCOW — Three Russian journalists investigating the activities of a private security company with murky Kremlin connections have been killed in the Central African Republic, Russian authorities said Tuesday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the three Russians had been identified by their ID cards as Orkhan Dzhemal, Alexander Rastorguev and Kirill Radchenko. Russian investigators said they had opened a criminal case to look into the deaths.

The journalists were making a documentary about the mysterious activities of a group of paramilitary mercenaries in the Central African Republic, which is undergoing brutal sectarian strife.

There was no indication the killings were connected with the documentary project. The assailants were not identified.

Henri Depele, the mayor of the town of Sibut, the capital of Kmo, a prefecture in the Central African Republic, told the Reuters news agency that the journalists were killed in an ambush in the region Monday night.

“Armed men emerged from the bush and opened fire on the vehicle,” Depele said. “The three journalists died instantly.”

The security company the journalists were looking into, known as the Wagner Group, has reportedly been employed by the Kremlin to carry out secret military tasks in eastern Ukraine and Syria, where it has been protecting oil fields and other facilities.

The group’s relationship with the Kremlin is murky and unconfirmed, but its leaders have reportedly received awards from the Kremlin, and its mercenaries were trained at the Russian Defense Ministry’s facilities.

The journalists were in the Central African Republic on an assignment for the Investigation Control Center, a Russian online news organization financed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oil tycoon who now lives in exile.

Anastasia Gorshkova, deputy editor of the media outlet, told the Russian Dozhd news network Sunday that the journalists had tried to enter an estate where members of the security company reportedly stayed, but they were told that they needed accreditation from the country’s Defense Ministry.

In March, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that at the request of the Central African Republic’s president, Moscow had decided to provide the country with “free military technical assistance.” Russia sent five military instructors and 170 advisers to train members of the country’s military, the ministry said in a statement.</s>Russian filmmaker Alexander Rastorguyev was killed along with cameraman Kirill Radchenko and war correspondent Orkhan Dzhemal in the Central African Republic while filming an investigative documentary about the Wagner group, a private Russian military firm allegedly linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Reuters news agency reported.

The three journalists, who were commissioned by Russian online news organization Investigation Control Centre to make the documentary, died in an ambush by unidentified assailants on Monday, Reuters said, quoting local authorities. The bodies were found in a bullet-ridden car near Sibut (about 300 kilometers from Bangui, the capital), according to the U.N. Mission in the Central African Republic.

“According to the driver’s explanations, when they were 23 kilometers [14 miles] from Sibut…armed men emerged from the bush and opened fire on the vehicle. The three journalists died instantly,” Henri Depele, the mayor of Sibut, told Reuters.

Russia’s foreign ministry issued a statement Tuesday identifying the victims and said that Russian diplomats were working with CAR officials to find out what happened.

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The Investigation Control Centre was founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an exiled oil tycoon and critic of Putin’s government.

“The crew were working in cooperation with my project The Centre for Investigation on an investigation into Russian private mercenaries, in particular the Wagner group,” Khodorkovsky wrote on his website. “These were brave men who were not prepared simply to collect documentary material, but wanted to ‘feel’ it in the palms of their hands. I hoped until the last moment that they had been captured, and that they could be rescued.”

Several media outlets have highlighted the controversial nature of the documentary the three men were making in the region. The Wagner group has reportedly been used by Russian authorities to conduct clandestine military operations on their behalf. Russian authorities have denied those reports, according to Reuters.

The Wagner group is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has known Putin since the 1990s and provides food services to the Kremlin through one of his companies, according to Bloomberg.</s>BANGUI, Central African Republic — Three Russian journalists were killed in an ambush outside the town of Sibut in Central African Republic, officials in both countries said Tuesday.

The three Russians left the town on Monday night around 7 p.m. and were attacked between two villages about 23 kilometres (14 miles) away, according to Marcelin Yoyo, a Sibut deputy official.

“Security forces in charge told them not to go because it was already dark,” Yoyo said. “They were kidnapped by about 10 men, all turbaned and speaking only Arabic.”

Yoyo said the journalists were slain on the spot, while their driver fled and informed authorities Tuesday morning.

Vladimir Monteiro, a spokesman for the United Nations mission in Central African Republic, said the victims’ bodies were recovered and taken to a mission hospital in Sibut. He didn’t disclose their nationalities or identities.

The Russian Foreign Ministry identified the slain journalists as Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Orkhan Dzhemal. The ministry expressed condolences to the families of the dead and said it was working on getting their bodies to Russia.

The ministry said in a statement that the Russian Embassy in the Central African Republic had not been informed the journalists were in the country.

The three had been working on a film in a partnership with an investigative media outlet run by exiled Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Russian media reported they were reporting on a private Russian security company operating in Central African Republic.

A spokesman for Central African Republic’s government, Ange Maxime Kazagui, said the ministries for communication and for public security and defence had not issued accreditation to a delegation of Russian journalists.

Central African Republic has launched an investigation into the attack, he said.</s>
• Three Russian journalists reportedly shooting a documentary on a Russian mercenary group were killed on Tuesday in the Central African Republic.
• The journalists’ bodies were found about 14 miles from the city of Sibut, which is about 50 miles from the capital of Bangui.

Three Russian journalists shooting a documentary on the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group, were reportedly killed on Tuesday in the Central African Republic, according to TV Rain, a Russian news channel.

Director Alexander Rastorguev, journalist Orhan Djemal and camerman Kirill Radchenko were killed after being detained at a roadblock, according to Agence France Presse.

The journalists’ bodies were found about 14 miles from the city of Sibut, which is about 50 miles from the capital of Bangui, AFP reported. They were apparently driving back to the capital from a town called Kaga Bandoro, which is north of Sibut.

The mayor of Sibut, Henri Depele, told Reuters that armed men “emerged from the bush” and ambushed the journalists.

The Central African Republic has been mired in violence for years, with thousands killed and about 500,000 displaced since about 2013.

The government currently controls only about 20% of the country, includeing Bangui, while the rest is in control of about 15 Christian and Muslim militias.

Russia has recently been helping train government forces and trying to gain influence in the troubled country.

In December, Moscow donated thousands of small arms to Bangui to fight the militia groups, according to the Jamestown Foundation.

Moscow is also trying to gain influence in the milita-controlled areas as well, including the northeastern part of the country, where there are many lucrative mines, Andrew McGregor, director of Aberfoyle International Security, previously told Business Insider.

The Wagner Group has been operating in CAR since at least early January, and McGregor said other Russsian mercenary organizations operate in the country as well.</s>MOSCOW — Opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky says the three Russian journalists killed in the Central African Republic had been working on an investigation into Russian mercenaries.

The reporters were killed in an ambush earlier in the week outside the town of Sibut in the CAR, according to local and Russian officials.

Khodorkovsky said on Facebook Wednesday that the journalists were collaborating with his investigative project on a story entitled “Russian mercenaries.” They were looking into a private security company operating in CAR that is linked to a businessman associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Officials in CER said the reporters were kidnapped by about 10 men wearing turbans and speaking only Arabic.

Khodorkovsky, an oil tycoon who has spent 10 years in jail in Russia now lives in exile in Europe.</s>Three Russian journalists have been killed in an ambush outside the town of Sibut in Central African Republic, officials in both countries said on Tuesday.

The three Russians left the town on Monday night around 7pm and were attacked between two villages about 23 kilometres (14 miles) away, according to Marcelin Yoyo, a Sibut deputy official.

“Security forces in charge told them not to go because it was already dark,” Yoyo said. “They were kidnapped by about 10 men, all turbaned and speaking only Arabic.”

Yoyo said the journalists were slain on the spot, while their driver fled and informed authorities on Tuesday morning.

Vladimir Monteiro, a spokesman for the United Nations mission in Central African Republic, said the victims’ bodies were recovered and taken to a mission hospital in Sibut. He didn’t disclose their nationalities or identities.

The Russian foreign ministry identified the murdered journalists as Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Orkhan Dzhemal. It expressed condolences to the families of the dead and said it was working on getting their bodies to Russia.

The three had been working on a film in a partnership with an investigative media outlet run by the exiled Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Russian media reported the journalists were covering a story on a private Russian security company operating in Central African Republic.

Rich in minerals, including uranium, Central African Republic is one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the world.

It plunged into violence after the nation’s longtime leader François Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown in 2013 by a mainly Muslim rebel alliance.

France, which was the former colonial ruler, intervened militarily to push out the alliance before winding down the operation.

But the president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who succeeded Bozize, controls little of the country beyond the capital Bangui.

He governs with the support of a United Nations force of 13,000 troops and police, one of the biggest peacekeeping missions in the world.

Most of Central African Republic is controlled by militias, many of whom claim to represent Christian or Muslim communities but frequently clash over natural resources and revenue, which includes roadblocks.

Russia has taken on a visible role in the country since December last year, when it was authorised by the UN to provide armed forces with weapons and training to Central African Republic.

The delivery was ostensibly aimed at shoring up the beleaguered central government and its chronically weak military – an exemption to a UN arms embargo imposed at the outbreak of conflict in 2013.

Britain, France and the US voiced concern, demanding that deliveries be restricted to light arms and that Russia take steps to provide traceability to prevent the weapons from being sold on the black market.

A UN panel of experts warned on Tuesday that Russia’s weapons supply has sparked an arms race in the rampantly unstable country, with rebels turning to traffickers in Sudan for fresh gun shipments.

It is understood that Russia has also signed a range of deals with the government since then, including security for Touadéra. His security adviser is also a Russian.

A spokesman for Central African Republic’s government, Ange Maxime Kazagui, said the ministries for communication and for public security and defence had not issued accreditation to a delegation of Russian journalists.



Central African Republic has launched an investigation into the attack, he said.

This report contains material from AP and AFP</s>Three Russian journalists were investigating a private security company’s alleged connections to the Kremlin when their car was reportedly ambushed by unidentified attackers. Their bodies were found in the town of Sibut, miles from the Central African Republic’s capital, but their driver managed to escape.

The three journalists killed Monday night were identified by their ID cards as Russian nationals Orkhan Dzhemal, Aleksandr Rastorguev and Kirill Radchenko, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement translated by The New York .

It remains unclear who was behind the attack on the journalists, or whether the killing was related to their investigation.

The trio was on assignment for the Investigation Control Center, a Russian news outlet backed by exiled oil tycoon Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, who is also a staunch critic of the Russian government.

They were reportedly making a documentary about the Wagner Group, a shadowy security company that has allegedly received contracts from the Kremlin for secret military operations in Syria and eastern Ukraine, the reports.

An editor from the Investigation Control Center, Anastasia Gorshkova, told Russian media on Sunday that the journalists had tried to enter an estate housing members of the security company, but were told they must first procure accreditation from the country’s Defense Ministry.

On Monday, they were supposed to meet a local contact in Bambari, a town 235 miles away from the capital, Bangui, via a route that cuts through Sibut.

The mayor of Sibut, Henri Depele, told Reuters that the journalists were ambushed around 10 p.m. local time.

“Armed men emerged from the bush and opened fire on the vehicle,” he said, citing the account of a driver. “The three journalists died instantly.”

According to the , the Russian Foreign Military agreed to provide the Central African Republic with “free military technical assistance” in March, sending five military instructors and 170 advisers there.

Russian investigators said they are looking into the deaths of Dzhemal, 51, Rastorguev, 47, and Radchenko, 33, who respectively worked as a military correspondent, a documentary filmmaker and a cameraman.
Three people are killed and robbed in an ambush near Sibut, Central African Republic. The Mikhail Khodorkovsky-financed Investigations Management Center says that they were Russian journalists who worked with them on a documentary about Wagner Group mercenaries and Russian mining interests in the country.