But Moscow has distanced itself from the coup. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that the Kremlin hoped for the "rapid release" of Bazoum. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov furthered that sentiment by calling for "restraint on all sides."
However, the Wagner Group, which has contracts in countries such as the Central African Republic and Mali, could look to capitalize on the turmoil in Niger and increase their presence in Africa.
Last week Saturday, Reuters reported that a message posted on Telegram, believed to be from Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, praised the coup. Reuters could not confirm it was Prigozhin but said the "speaker had the same distinctive intonation and turn of phrase in Russian" as the mercenary group's leader.
The speaker congratulated Niger's military for getting "rid of the colonizers" and offered to send Wagner fighters to help restore order.