THOUSANDS of miles from Ukraine's bloody frontline, Vladimir Putin is quietly waging a brutal second war in the desert.

In a vast lawless region plagued by coups, terrorism and insurgencies, the Russian tyrant is wrapping his war-hungry tentacles around Africa with a shadow army risen from the ashes.

From Mali to the Central African Republic and across the Sahel, Russia has rechristened its notorious Wagner group to form a new Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force - the Africa Corps.

With boots on the ground, the war-ravaged territories are offering Putin the perfect arena to stretch out his shadowy hand and shore up allies.

But the tyrant is also thought to be using the dark operations as a strategic "conveyor belt" to train Russian troops for his meat-grinder war in Ukraine .

See Full Page