[UPDATE-Aug 3-07:00Z] France Starts to Evacuate French, EU Citizens From Niger

Western media claims that Russia involved in Niger coup groundless, explains analyst Speculations in the Western media that Russia is allegedly involved in the latest events in Niger are groundless and represent an attempt to put out a simplified propagandized explanation for the reasons behind the coup in that country, Vsevolod Sviridov, an expert at the Center for African Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, said. “These accusations are groundless. The West is taking the events in Niger close to heart, as it has become a magnet for Western forces, primarily the U.S. and France, in…