# How Mali’s big bet on Russia is backfiring | Mapped Out

https://mins.news/en/video/29159

- DW News, 2026-08-22 09:11 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RApfStFlysE

> Major attacks by the jihadist group JNIM and separatist Tuareg rebels have shaken Mali. As violence and insecurity spread, military ruler Assimi Goïta is holding on to power. Mali has turned away from former colonial power France and sought Russian support, while Goïta and Vladimir Putin appear to have formed a personal friendship.

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- [Russian paramilitaries in Mali killed nine civilians, including children: HRW](https://mins.news/en/item/27640) — Al Jazeera, 2026-08-20