Analyzing Russia’s Mali strategy, researchers Maxime Audinet and Emmanuel Dreyfus described it as a two-sided presence, featuring official and unofficial sides. This dual nature of Russia’s Mali engagements can be found also in other Russian engagements in the continent and was overtly on display in St. Petersburg during the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit and its accompanying public forum.

When Ukraine launched its big counteroffensive this spring, Western military officials knew Kyiv didn’t have all the training or weapons—from shells to warplanes—that it needed to dislodge Russian forces. But they hoped Ukrainian courage and resourcefulness would carry the day.

A U.S. drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department.

Neither of Russia’s most senior generals has been seen in public since a failed mercenary uprising rocked the country five days ago, as rumors swirled of military purges and arrests and President Vladimir Putin moved to reassert his authority.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization, has broken with Russian President Vladimir Putin.