The New York Times reported that Russian mercenaries killed civilians, looted homes and shot worshipers in a mosque in Central Africa during a major military operation earlier this year.

The newspaper revealed that the accusations were contained in a report submitted to the UN Security Council, a copy of which documented crimes committed by Russian mercenaries in the Central African Republic, a poor and mineral-rich country that has been in a civil war for nearly a decade.

The report revealed that the Russian mercenaries, who were presented as unarmed advisers to the government, led major military operations and established mining centers for the diamonds that the country contains in abundance.

The report revealed that the violations committed by government forces and mercenaries included “the use of excessive force, indiscriminate killing, occupation of schools, and looting on a wide base, including humanitarian organizations.”

The report included photographic evidence and documented testimonies from local residents and officials.

The Central African Republic’s government hired Russian mercenaries in 2017 to regain control of the diamond trade from rebels and work to stop a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions since 2012.

The Kremlin has offered to send military trainers to help train Central African forces in a mission blessed by the United Nations, which passed a resolution in 2013 exempting the Central African Republic from an arms embargo.

It quickly became clear that the Russian trainers were nothing more than Russian mercenaries with arms, and the operation developed into a covert mission to build Russian influence and achieve business deals in Africa, including diamond contracts for businessmen close to President Vladimir Putin.

Quickly, the Russians became involved in politics and security in the Central African Republic, turning to security guards to protect President Faustin-Archange Touadera, while a former Russian intelligence director served as his security advisor.

Although Russian officials have admitted that there are only 550 trainers in the country, the United Nations report indicates that the number sometimes reached 2,100 people.

Most of the companies that hire the trainers are linked to Yevgeny Prigogine, the well-known Putin chef who was accused by the United States in 2019 of financing an “information war” to disrupt the 2016 US election.

The UN report will be released this week and provides details of abuses during a turbulent period in the former French colony.

At the end of December, a coalition of rebels tried to sabotage the elections and launched a military attack on the capital, Bangui, to seize power. The attempt failed, and in mid-January the government launched a massive campaign to respond to the attack and was eventually able to drive out the rebels for a long period of time.

In the testimonies included in the United Nations report, eyewitnesses told that the Russian trainers, who were supposed to be civilians, led the government forces in the battle, and “advancing in the major cities and villages” where crimes against civilians were committed.

The rebels recruited children, attacked peacekeepers, looted humanitarian aid groups and raped women, the report said.

In December, Russian security contractors opened fire on a truck that advanced towards a checkpoint in the city of Grimari, killing 3 civilians and wounding 15 others, according to the UN investigation. Then, in February, Russian-led government forces attacked the Al-Taqwa mosque in Bambari, where the rebels hid among the worshippers. At least 6 civilians were killed when the Russians attacked the mosque and opened fire from their weapons.

The report documented the killing of five other civilians at the hands of Russian forces, including two people with special needs, accusing them of looting money, a motorcycle and other valuables during the search.

The Russians denied that their forces killed civilians or committed abuses. The Russian military coordinator in Bangui told investigators that the rebels holed up in the mosque and fired from it. The Russians denied entering the building or shooting civilians.

Russian contractors have appeared in recent years in regions afflicted by civil strife, from Libya to Mozambique, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Three Russians were killed in May on the border between Chad and the Central African Republic. This month, 10 Russians were arrested in northern Chad, where the government is fighting the rebels.

One of the Russians told Reuters news agency that they were wandering in the desert.

Prigogine was associated with operations in Syria and Libya through the Wagner Security Contracting Company, and its name became associated in the Central African Republic with companies looking for diamond contracts.

And in 2009, three Russians were killed when they were investigating the Prigogine association with the country’s gold and diamond trade.

Local authorities promised an investigation, but no one was arrested or convicted.

The UN report noted that “Russian contractors have a prominent presence in the main mining centers,” but did not provide details on the nature of their work.

And in March another UN organization accused a company linked to Prigogine of extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance and torture.

And in a letter from the working group regarding the use of mercenaries to the director of “Loby Invest” company, it stated: “The security contractors were seen more than once participating in hostilities and even suffered bodily damage, wounded or killed.”

and “reports indicate human rights violations including rape, outright killing, targeted killing, torture, enforced disappearance, assassination and other abuses” committed by Russians who participated in the operations of government forces.

As the Russians got deeper into the Central African Republic, they launched a propaganda campaign to gain public support. And in recent months, the film “Pictures of Russians as Heroes” appeared in remembrance of last year’s film on Libya, which depicted Russians detained in Libya and well connected with Prigozhin.

But the UN investigators have a different view, which is that the violations of the Russians in the Central African Republic have led to reprisals against civilians and “prolonged the cycle of violence in the country.”