BBC Footage Shows Russian Paramilitaries Carried Out Air Strikes in Mali as Rebels Advanced
Footage obtained by the BBC shows Russian paramilitaries conducting air strikes in northern Mali as Tuareg-led rebels advanced. Analysts call it some of the clearest evidence yet of Moscow's growing military footprint in the Sahel. Bamako has so far declined to comment.
The footage, said to have been recorded on mobile phones, shows Russian-speaking personnel in military uniform alongside attack helicopters carrying out low-altitude strikes. The video is reported to have been filmed in the Anefis area of northern Mali in recent weeks.
The Malian army, working with Africa Corps - the Russian unit that replaced the Wagner Group - has been pressing a counter-offensive in the north since late 2024. The rebel coalition known as the CSP-DPA says civilians have been killed in the air strikes.
The United States and the European Union argue that the Russian military presence in the Sahel should be read as a direct extension of Moscow's strategy, despite the paramilitary label. Mali's foreign ministry has not responded to questions about the footage.
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