Russian military contingent held its first public show of presence in Equatorial Guinea. The reason for this was the celebration of May 9. Representatives of Equatorial Guinea’s armed forces also took part.
According to Janes, the demonstration involved 40 Russian servicemen, a BTR-82A armored personnel carrier, a Tigr infantry mobility vehicle, a truck mounted with a ZU-23-2, and two Toyota Hilux pickups. In addition, russians showed the locals a simulator for training to pilot FPV drones.
In November 2024, reports emerged that at least 200 military instructors were sent from russia to Equatorial Guinea, likely Wagner Group fighters. Now there is direct confirmation of those earlier reports.
At first glance, the figure of 200 instructors may seem insignificant. However, it should be noted that Equatorial Guinea’s armed forces number fewer than 2,000 personnel, with 1,100 serving in the ground forces, which include one mechanized and three infantry battalions.
According to The Military Balance 2024, the ground forces of this African country have only three T-55 tanks, six BRDM-2s and 20 BMP-1s, along with 41 armored personnel carriers of various types, including 10 BTR-152s and six Chinese WZ-551s. There is no artillery. Anti-tank weapons include Chinese HJ-8 ATGMs, and the country also has an unspecified number of ZU-23-2 and Chinese QW-2 MANPADS.
In terms of aviation (about 100 personnel), Equatorial Guinea has two Su-25s, two Su-25UBs, one An-32B, two An-72s, and two L-39C aircraft. The helicopter fleet includes five Mi-24Ps, one Mi-17, one Mi-8, and one Ka-29. The navy, with approximately 550 personnel, operates the Wele Nzas frigate, the Bata patrol frigate, 10 patrol vessels, and several other types of boats.
Earlier Defense Express reported about how russia had faked creating a new carrier-based fighter for international attention.
