This research develops a comprehensive “playbook” of Russian state capture, defined as effective state control of a foreign government. It draws primarily on case studies in Francophone West and Central Africa, including the Central African Republic and Mali, where political instability, anti-Western sentiment, and natural resource wealth have created favorable conditions for Russian state capture. These cases illustrate how Russia builds influence from the ground up, leveraging propaganda, financial support, security partnerships, and proxy actors to effectively capture states. This research identifies these recurring strategies and operational structures, particularly the international networks of public agencies, private companies, and front organizations that enable Russia to both effect and obscure its control of target states. It identifies propaganda as a key tool of these operations, ideologically capturing government officials, legitimizing Russian actors in the eyes of the public, and destabilizing target political environments.