Media: Russian journalists killed in Central Africa found informant through Putin's associate's company
Kirill Romanovsky, a journalist of the Russian Federal News Agency RIA FAN introduced Alexander Rastorguyev to a “fixer” in the Central African Republic (CAR). As reported by Meduza news agency, this was stated by several friends of Rastorguyev and Romanovsky.
“Fixers” are specialists who “fix” or make convenient arrangements for a variety of needs for visiting reporters. Since the Gulf War in 1991 they have become essential for visiting reporters to operate quickly or effectively because fixers have the necessary contacts to make it happen.
Rastorguyev was introduced to a fixer named Martin through his colleague Romanovsky, which is not an uncommon practice. However, RIA FAN is associated with Evgeny Prigozhin’s “Trolls factory.” The news agency had been implicated in the scandal of Russian interference in the US elections.
Prigozhin is also associated with the Wagner private military company, which was to be the subject of the documentary that the journalists were going to shoot in CAR before they were killed.
In an interview with Meduza, Romanovsky confirmed that he was talking with Martin and Rastorguyev. According to the Chief Editor of the Investigations Management Center (IMC), Andrey Koniakhin, the journalists were attacked when they were going to meet with Martin.
Earlier, the IMC alleged that Martin worked in the UN mission in CAR; however, the representatives of the mission stated that they “do not have a consultant called Martin.”