A sanctioned Russian cargo vessel, the Mikhail Britnev, has delivered a large consignment of military vehicles to Mali (a landlocked West African country governed by a military junta backed by Moscow), defying US sanctions imposed in 2024, according to an investigation by BBC Verify. The ship docked in Lomé, Togo, on 9 July after departing Russia's Baltiysk port, carrying armoured personnel carriers, general-purpose trucks, and light infantry vehicles, which were then transported overland through Burkina Faso to Mali's capital, Bamako. The delivery signals that Russia is intensifying its support for Mali's junta amid a successful rebel offensive by jihadist and Tuareg separatist forces that has seized large portions of northern Mali, with analysts noting that the shipment could help Russian-backed Africa Corps forces — which replaced the Wagner mercenary group — mount counter-offensives against advancing rebels.