BBC Verify has found evidence that a sanctioned Russian cargo ship delivered a large number of military vehicles to Mali, helping to resupply Russian and Malian forces battling a rebel offensive in the north of the country. The finding underscores that the Kremlin is deepening its military support for Mali's ruling junta despite Western sanctions, even as its Africa Corps mercenaries struggle to contain a rapid advance by jihadist and Tuareg separatist fighters who have seized swathes of northern territory.

Ship tracking data shows the Mikhail Britnev, sanctioned by the US in 2024, left Russia's Baltiysk port on 18 June, was escorted through the English Channel by a Russian warship, switched off its transponder, and docked in Lomé, Togo, on 9 July. Satellite images indicate it carried trucks, armoured personnel carriers and light infantry vehicles matching a large convoy filmed arriving in Bamako on 25 July after travelling through Togo and Burkina Faso, both run by Moscow-backed juntas. Analysts say the vehicles could bolster a future counter-offensive, noting this follows other recent shipments via Guinea, while Mali's junta has suffered fresh battlefield setbacks and Amnesty International has called for a war crimes investigation.