An article in collaboration with Svoboda and Systema from Radio Free Europe
On 30 October 2025, a decree appeared in the Republic of the Congo’s Official Journal. Issued directly by the presidency, the document announced the nomination of four Russian nationals to the Order of Merit, the most prestigious honour awarded by the country for outstanding deeds or distinguished service to the Congolese nation in civil or military capacity.
The announcement passed almost unnoticed. There was no official ceremony, no press coverage or mention in the local media, no official declaration. But the names told a different story.
Four names. The first, General Andrey Averyanov, an officer in the GRU – Russia’s Military Intelligence service – who oversees Russia’s Africa Corps project across the continent. Next, General Alexei Orekhov, a longtime associate of Averyanov, now Director of the Main Administration for International Military Cooperation (GUMVS) within the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
The other two names – Colonel Yuri Mikheev and Navy Captain Anton Papshev – had never before been publicly associated with Russia’s African operations. But our investigation reveals these two individuals are far from peripheral figures. They are at the centre of a new Russian effort to establish a foothold in Madagascar – an island whose strategic position makes it the gateway to the western Indian Ocean, overlooking the Mozambique Channel, the Comoros archipelago, the East African coastline, and some of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.
A seemingly innocuous presidential decree from the Republic of Congo was the first clue to a larger, more significant operation targeting Madagascar.
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