Russia says its military in C Africa only to train local troops

Moscow today said its military members are in the Central African Republic only to train local forces after three Russian journalists were killed in the strife-torn country.

Journalists Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Orkhan Dzhemal were killed in CAR on Monday.

They were reporting on the so-called Wagner Group -- a company that sends Russian mercenaries to hotspots such as Syria and Ukraine that has been described as Moscow's shadow army.

The journalists were working for a media project launched by Kremlin opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who is living in exile in Britain.

"Russian military specialists do not take any part in fighting in CAR. Their duties are limited to training (local) troops," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing in Moscow.

She added that Russian military specialists were in CAR "on the request of the president of this country." Zakharova accused some media of doing "everything possible to distort information and the reality concerning the presence of Russian instructors in CAR."