Overview

Vitaly Viktorovich Perfilev, known by the call sign Roland, served as an adviser to the President of the Central African Republic (CAR), a position that granted him direct access to decision-makers at various levels of government. Perfilev’s primary responsibility was to train the Forces armées centrafricaines (FACA), the armed forces of the Central African Republic, and to provide military advice. He held the position of deputy chief of staff within the Wagner Group and was identified in internal documents as a key figure in the organization’s CAR operations.

Perfilev was born on November 9, 1983, in Novosibirsk, Russia, in what was then the Soviet Union. Details about Perfilev’s early life and background remain largely unclear. Some sources claim that he served in the French Foreign Legion, but the time frame and location of this service are uncertain. Internal documents confirm that Perfilev is a French speaker, and he has been observed speaking fluent French on camera.

Perfilev’s association with the Wagner Group dates to at least 2015, when he was linked to operations in Syria. Perfilev worked for Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Evro Polis company, the corporate structure organizing the Wagner Group’s Syria operations. Internal documents confirm his operational activities in the CAR from May 14, 2018, onward. Over time, he assumed an increasingly prominent role in the CAR, taking over responsibilities previously held by Alexander Zakharov. Perfilev was allegedly poisoned in March 2022.

Perfilev faces international sanctions from the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and Ukraine for his role in Wagner Group activities, particularly alleged human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in the CAR.