Is Russia proving better at protecting friends than fighting enemies in West Africa?
Russian forces were brought in to help defeat jihadists but they also defend the military leadership in Niger.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"His country's forces had helped 'repress a mutiny'."
— Viktor Voropaev , Other
"It was not sufficient to bring stability, but it's enough to allow these military governments to have a political lifeline."
— Beverly Ochieng , Academic
Key People
Head of Niger's military government.
Senior analyst at Control Risks.
Security analyst tracking jihadist activity.
The elected President of Niger prior to the coup.
Russia's ambassador to Niger.
Locations
All Coverage
Russian forces were brought in to help defeat jihadists but they also defend the military leadership in Niger.
Similar Stories
Related coverage based on topic and tags
Putin warns West that Russia is ready to use every weapon to protect Kaliningrad
Vladimir Putin insists Moscow is "not threatening anyone" and merely responding to statements by Western leaders.
October 1, 2026 at 06:09 PMPutin shows no sign of stopping the war as Russia doubles down on Ukraine
A foreign policy speech by the Russian president will be keenly watched, but all signs point to the full-scale invasion continuing.
September 30, 2026 at 11:10 PMKremlin says Ukraine is now 'paying the price' for its own attacks on Russia - Reuters
Kremlin says Ukraine is now 'paying the price' for its own attacks on Russia Reuters
September 28, 2026 at 09:53 AMUkraine believes Russia shared jet-drone technology with North Korea, says Zelenskiy - Reuters
Ukraine believes Russia shared jet-drone technology with North Korea, says Zelenskiy Reuters
October 4, 2026 at 04:05 PMUkrainian drones deliver new batch of food to Russian-occupied Oleshky - Reuters
Ukrainian drones deliver new batch of food to Russian-occupied Oleshky Reuters
October 4, 2026 at 04:33 PMRussia launches largest attack on Ukraine energy infrastructure since spring
In total 11 regions of the country were attacked overnight, with residential buildings and railways also targeted, the Ukrainian PM says.
September 30, 2026 at 12:42 PM