Mali has received a new batch of military equipment of planes and helicopters from Russia, Agence France-Presse reported on Tuesday.
"We are strengthening our reconnaissance and strike capabilities with L-39 and Su-25 fighters <...>. As well as Mi-24P type attack helicopters, which are being added to the Mi-35 and Mi-24 already delivered," AFP quoted Malian Defense Minister Colonel Sadio Camara as saying.
Russian diplomats and Colonel Assimi Goita, acting head of Mali, attended the ceremony of military equipment transfer, AFP says.
In March this year, Malian authorities reported receiving Mi-35P helicopters, radar equipment, weapons and ammunition from Russia.
Mali has faced two military coups since the summer of 2020. In the first, which happened on August 18, 2020, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was ousted from power. A military group led by Colonel Assimi Goita appointed Bah Ndaw as interim president. However, on May 26, 2021, he was ousted by the same military group.
The Constitutional Court of Mali ruled that Goita was appointed head of State for a transitional period. The military leadership of Mali has proposed holding elections in December 2025.
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Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS