The network uses military, sanctioned and unsanctioned airlines carriers to supply Russia’s military forces in Africa across the Sahel
Russia is using a network of military and private aircraft, similar to its maritime “shadow fleet”, to sustain its forces in Africa’s Sahel.
At least 75 flights linked to Russian state-aligned military forces travelled to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger between January 2025 and July 2026, according to an analysis by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS).
The network resembles the logic of Russia’s better-known maritime “shadow fleet” of tankers used to export sanctioned Russian oil: rather than relying exclusively on clearly identifiable state assets, Moscow uses a mix of military operators, government agencies and private carriers to keep its supply lines running.
Defence
