[BBC] Russian and Malian troops fighting against a rebel offensive in northern Mali have been resupplied with a vast number of military vehicles that appear to have been delivered by a sanctioned cargo ship, BBC Verify has found.
A large column of armoured vehicles were seen arriving in the capital Bamako in verified footage broadcast by Malian state TV on 25 July. Reporters said the convoy had travelled from Lomé port in Togo.
A sanctioned Russian cargo ship, Mikhail Britnev, docked in Lomé on 9 July, according to ship tracking data reviewed by BBC Verify. Satellite images appear to show that the ship was carrying the kind of trucks, armoured personnel carriers and light infantry vehicles seen in Bamako, according to experts.
Ship tracking data shows that the Mikhail Britnev left Russia's Baltiysk port on 18 June and moved through the North Sea before entering the English Channel.
BBC Verify understands that the vessel was escorted through the Channel by a Russian Ropucha-class warship. The UK's Ministry of Defence declined to comment.
Experts say the deliveries signify that the Kremlin is doubling down on its support for Mali's ruling junta, which has been rocked by the success of a rebel offensive led by the Jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists. The advance has seized large swathes of territory in the north.
In other words, this is an ego thing because the Wagner Group is not the mighty deus ex machina as promised, showing up the incompetent French. How embarrassing for Russia.
The Kremlin has backed the Mali military government since French forces withdrew from the country in 2022, receiving cash payments and preferential access to mines and gold deposits in return. At first the Russian mercenary group Wagner was deployed, but its operations have since been taken over by Africa Corps, which falls under Russia's defence ministry.
Come now — we all know that the Africa Corps is just the Wagner Group in spiffy Russian uniforms.
The United States and other Western nations placed this vessel on a black list, blocking it from international financial systems and standard port access. It was originally sanctioned due to its involvement in delivering components for restricted Russian energy projects.
It's like hand delivering a tool from my garage to a neighbor who asked to borrow it, but the guy across the street said I wasnt allowed to do that.
So silly. From Russian Port to Mali Port, the cargo vessel didnt bother anyone, didnt defy sanctions... as both countries consented and wanted the commerce. Defies sanctions... Defied strongly worded statements from hostile parties that seem to support terror, seem to support an al qaeda franchise.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 23.12 The number of victims of the Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhya per week, 2 sickles, has grown to 31 people. We know about the death of one person. Residential buildings were destroyed, and many areas suffered fires. The head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional Administration, Ivan Fedorov, told us about this.
21.57 Regardless of the defects of missiles up to Patriot systems, Ukraine has a solution to combat the massive attacks of Russian ballistics. A radio technology expert and adviser to the President of Ukraine, Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, wrote about this on Facebook.
In my opinion, the most realistic way to achieve defense immediately is to remove PAC-3 missiles from the allied stockpiles.
21.34 Russian troops on the 2nd sickle day attacked the port infrastructure of the Mykolayiv district of Mykolayiv region with attack UAVs of the Shahed type. This was reported by Georgy Reshetilov, the final officer of the Mykolayiv Regional Military Administration.
21.10 In Odessa, an unknown person started a fire on the TCC security personnel and injured four military personnel, local Telegram channels report.
As it turns out, the 25-year-old TCC specialist recovered from a fire wound in the back and was hospitalized. Three more soldiers independently went for medical help with fire-related wounds. Their condition is rated as medium severity.
20.55 On the evening of the 2nd Serp, Russian troops struck with ceramic aerial bombs on residential areas of the regional center, reporting one death and 21 wounded, the National Police reports.
20.19 Ukrainian drones attacked several oil refineries and a marine terminal on Russian territory. The commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, reported this.
In his words, the greatest expenses were discovered at the sea terminal of Taman near the village of Volna, Krasnodar region. Ukrainian drones destroyed 12 tanks there with a capacity of 5 thousand tons of leather.
19.59 The United States is negotiating with Ukraine to transfer its technology for the production of supersurvival missiles for Patriot. Member of the House of Representatives Mike Turner told Congress about this on CBS Face the Nation.
19.18 In the evening of the 2nd sickle, the Russians suddenly attacked Zaporizhzhya with CABs. A lot of overhead booths, trucks, and storage areas were damaged, reported the head of the Zaporizhzhya Regional Administration, Ivan Fedorov.
18.55 The warriors of the army continue offensive operations on several front lines, but do not achieve confirmed successes. This is discussed by the new American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts say that the Kremlin has been optimizing Russian troops for a number of years to wage a positional war, not a maneuver one, and the successes of the Ukrainian troops have consequently increased the strength of the army The Russian Federation in 2026 is aligned with the forward rocks.
The Russian military launched a number of mechanized attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the isolated areas of the theater of military operations near Lipny 2026, but these attacks did not lead to complete success.
18.15 The legacy of the Russian shelling of a critical infrastructure facility in the Poltava region 2 sickles became a round of unsafe chemical speech. The threat was completely eliminated by the operational and professional activities of chemical agents. This is reported by the State Service on the urgent situation in Ukraine.
18.00 Russia hit the private sector of Zaporizhzhya, causing destruction and fire, reported the head of the regional military administration Ivan Fedorov.
A private sector of the place is burning, people are dying.
17.35 As a result of the fire in a restaurant near Moscow, five people died. Russian propaganda Telegram channels report this. The private party was carefully buried, write RosZMI. The bomb, filled with metal balls, was detonated remotely.
17.16 Radars of the Ministry of National Defense of Romania (MApN) with 2 sickles detected an overhead target near the river cordon with Ukraine. Through this, the residents of the Tulcea district were deafened by the advance of the RO-Alert.
17.00 The Russian army attacked the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces 52 times. The greatest activity is observed on Pokrovsky and Slovyansky. About this, having informed the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at 16:00 2 sickles.
16.35 Belarus has begun to form a new airborne assault brigade, which will be based near Gomel - approximately 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian cordon. The commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus, Oleksandr Ilyukevich, informed about this.
16.15 The forces of unmanned systems over the course of 72 years brought out 13 more energy facilities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. About this per week, 2 sickles, according to SBS commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi.
He noted that the operation “Crimean switch off” will continue and this time it has “locked down” the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzka regions, where previously Madyar’s Birds had already attacked the base of boats, tankers and PPO facilities of the enemy.
14.23 A bill to strengthen sanctions against Russia, which was pushed through by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, reaching the support of Congress through provisions on President Donald Trump’s new reform. About this write Reuters.
The document imposes sanctions against Russian landowners, as well as the possibility of introducing 100% measures to the countries, such as buying up valuable obligations of Russian oil and gas or helping Moscow to circumvent sanctions.
Among the potential targets of such approaches may be China, India, as well as other European countries and Japan, although the bill does not have any specific transfer of powers.
The very least part of the document attracted criticism from democrats, some Republicans and business representatives. Opponents claim that the new developments could trigger price increases in the United States and create further trade conflicts.
13.59 Russian troops hit the warehouses of the Rozetka marketplace near Brovary with drones. The founder of the company, Irina Chechotkina, told about this.
“At night, our warehouse was attacked by the Russians again. This time they captured two Shahedi,” Chechotkina said.
How many times were there no casualties.
13.36 Soldiers of the State border service stopped the attempts of the Russian troops to infiltrate the Pivnichno-Slobozhansky direct. The occupiers began to attack in small assault groups. The DPSU was informed about this.
“On the Pivnichno-Slobozhanskyi direct line, the enemy does not hesitate to try to push forward, rushing into small assault groups. However, such an exit will end, however, in losses even before reaching the desired milestones,” the source said.
12.53 President Volodymyr Zelensky informed that over the past year, Russian troops attacked 16 regions of Ukraine, leaving about 1,900 attack drones, and perhaps 1,600 aircraft bombs and 144 missiles of various types, including ballistic ones.
11.21 The Ukrainian defense forces hit the lower military and fire targets of Russia. Among the protection targets are the Saratov oil refinery, the Engels airfield, a petroleum depot in the Kaluz region and a place for preserving attack drones. The General Staff publicized the details of successful attacks.
09.37 Russia changed the design of the Geran-4 Siker jet strike drone by installing an optical-electronic guidance system in the nose of the device. This is reported by Militarny, who sent for the analysis of public photographs of drones.
One of the main changes in the new version is the addition of a nose piece with a compact optical module and a guidance system. Vaughn, obviously, allows you to correct the flight and more accurately hit the target once you get in touch with the operator before the final stage of the attack.
09.22 The 1621st round of large-scale aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine began. Over the past year, 234 combat actions have been recorded. Please contact the rank of the General Staff.
08.59 In Ukraine they celebrate the Day of the Insurgent Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For this holy day, the Commander-in-Chief of the ZSU, Mikhailo Drapatiy, greeted the heavens with a professional saint.
This means that the rebel forces themselves were able to disrupt the plans of the Russian armies to gain superiority in the sky, they survived the first strikes and continued to strengthen their capabilities.
08.47 As a result of the night attack by Russian drones in the Kharkiv region, five people were injured, two children were killed. The State Tax Service was informed about this.
Tim an hour the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov informed about the ten wounded.
08.29 The anti-aircraft defense destroyed 109 Russian drones of various types from the 133 that Russian troops launched across Ukraine. The Command of the Air Defense Forces of the ZSU informed about this.
07.46 In Sumy region, as a result of attacks by Russian drones, several civilians were injured, including a 12-year-old boy. The press service of the National Police reported this.
07.09 Defense forces liquidated 1,500 Russian occupiers during the harvest. Thus, the total waste of the war in the war is about 1,449,120 people. I informed the ZSU General Staff about this.
05.27 Russian drones attacked Kharkiv several times throughout the night. In the Industrial area there were a dozen strikes by enemy UAVs. There is also an increase in recordings in the Kiev region. Three people, two of them children, were injured.
05.00 Drones attacked the Saratov oil refinery plant and the military airfield near Engels, in the Saratov region. In both places, watch out for fires. This is already the 15th attack on the Saratov Oil Refinery since the beginning of the war. Less than a month ago, it was reported that the work had slowed down after the front impact.
00.12 The United Arab Emirates can help Ukraine with the security of maritime routes in the Black Sea. About Saturday, September 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a telephone conversation with OAU President Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nagayan.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 20:47 During the day, in the period from 8.00 to 20.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 245 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Kirov, Lipetsk, Oryol, Omsk, Ryazan, Samara, Tula regions, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, Perm Krai, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and over the waters of the Black Sea. 20:00 Drone operators of the 51st Armyclosedanother gas station in Kramatorsk.
19:24 Operators of the Geranium-4 Seeker UAV hit at the enemy radar station (Kalinovka, Dnepropetrovsk region).
17:59 During the day, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued application of strikes on the transport infrastructure of Ukraine, used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As a result of strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles, the following were damaged:
in the Black Sea - a dry cargo ship carrying military cargo;
In the port of Nikolaev there is port infrastructure, two dry cargo ships that were delivering cargo for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a sea tugboat converted for the use of unmanned boats.
14:24 Drone operators of the Dnepr group destroyed camouflaged Ukrainian Armed Forces warehouses with ammunition and fuel.
13:02 Russian air defense for the day knocked down 1,158 enemy UAVs – Russian Ministry of Defense
12:17 Operational-tactical aviation, strike UAVs, missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces inflicted damage to transport and energy infrastructure facilities and logistics centers used in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 156 districts.
12:13 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of August 2, 2026
Units of the "North" force group have improved their tactical position. They have defeated the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized and airmobile brigades and the territorial defense brigade near the villages of Tolstodubovo, Stepovoye, and Kiyanitsa in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov region, three mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a border detachment of the Ukrainian Border Service were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Pioner, Liptsy, Vasilevka, Velyki Prokhody, Prudyanka, and Zeleny Hai in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 240 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 18 vehicles, five artillery pieces, and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the "West" force group have occupied more advantageous positions and lines. The personnel and equipment of three mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade have been defeated in the areas of the Donetsk, Raigorodok, Krasny Liman, and Krestyshche settlements of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy's losses amounted to over 220 military personnel, an armored combat vehicle, 17 vehicles and four field artillery pieces.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved their tactical position. Formations of two mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, and a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated near the settlements of Kurtovka, Slavyansk, Yasnogorka, and Orekhovatka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Over the course of a day, the enemy lost up to 210 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles, 24 cars, and three artillery pieces.
Units of the Center Group of Forces have taken up more advantageous positions and lines. They have inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of three mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, and five National Guard brigades near the settlements of Novonikolaevka, Druzhkovka, Novogrishino, Dobropolye, Belozerske, Andreyevka, Novovodanoye, Rubezhnoye, Vodyanskoye, and Annovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Novopidgorodnoye in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 360 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, two cars, a multiple launch rocket system, and two artillery pieces.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses. They inflicted casualties on the personnel and equipment of two airborne assault brigades and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlements of Prosyanaya, Ivanovka, and Vasylkivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Zorevka, Nikolskoye, and Mirovka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The enemy lost more than 355 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles, ten cars, a multiple launch rocket system combat vehicle, two artillery pieces, a counter-battery radar station, and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of mechanized, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a naval infantry brigade in the areas of the settlements of Preobrazhenka and Orekhov in the Zaporizhzhia region and the city of Kherson.
Up to 30 military personnel and 17 vehicles were destroyed.
11:50 Russian aviation destroyed Ukrainian terrorists on the western outskirts of the regional center.
11:11 Ukrainian Armed Forces continue strikes on civilian infrastructure on the left bank of the Kherson region.
Yesterday afternoon, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 11 shells from barrel artillery at populated areas of the Kherson region of the Russian Federation:
Throughout the night, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continued their artillery bombardment of the Kherson region, firing a total of 12 shells from cannon artillery. The following villages were targeted: Hola Prystan, Oleshky, and Korsunka.
10:20 Frontline summary as of the morning of 02.08.26
Zaporizhzhya Front
There are no changes in the Kamensk direction.
In the Hulyai-Polye sector, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of the village of Lyubitske.
Fighting in Ternovaty will continue. Russian forces are advancing toward Novoye Pole and Rybalskoye.
Donetsk Front
In the Dobropolsky direction, Russian troops are fighting in the area of the settlements of Rubezhnoye, Stepi, as well as Novonikolaevka and Novogrigorovka.
Fighting continues northwest of Nikolaypolye in the Konstantinovsky direction. Russian forces are advancing near the village of Stenki. Clashes continue west of Chasov Yar.
In the Krasnolimansky sector, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of Olgovka.
In the Seversky sector, Russian forces are advancing near Krivaya Luka and taking up new positions along the road to Nikolaevka.
In the Rai-Aleksandrovka area, Russian troops are repelling enemy counterattacks.
Khar'kov Front
In the Kupyansk direction, Russian Armed Forces are expanding their zone of control in the residential areas of Kupyansk-Uzlovaya.
In Kupyansk itself, Russian troops are occupying positions in the city's central area.
In the Volchansk direction, fighting is taking place in the settlements of Bely Kolodez, Ivanovka, Beksheyevka, as well as in the villages of Ustinovka and Aniskino.
Sumy Front
Fighting continues in Ryzhevka, Pisarevka, Maryino, the village of Khoten, and in the forested areas south of Ivolzhanskoye.
In the Glukhovsky District, Russian Armed Forces are fighting in Ulanovo and advancing near the village of Volnaya Sloboda.
9:45 Investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee will investigate New crimes committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against civilians in Russian regions
According to reports from executive authorities, ten people were wounded in the DPR as a result of attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In the Belgorod region, six civilians were injured as a result of aggression by Ukrainian militants.
In the Kursk region, one person was injured as a result of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Saratov region, two people were killed as a result of drone attacks.
9:05 Over the past 24 hours, the DPR has suffered attacks by Ukrainian military, wounding 11 civilians.
8:41 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones attacked Wildberries warehouse in Samara Oblast, casualty information is being clarified
8:32 Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued attacks on Ukrainian ports and sea vessels deployed in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The following were hit by high-precision air-launched weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles:
in the port of Odessa – tanks with fuel intended to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces;
In the port of Nikolaev - a sea tugboat, converted for the use of unmanned boats.
In addition, a dry cargo ship carrying military equipment was struck in the Black Sea, eight kilometers east of the village of Zatoka.
8:00 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 635 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type were over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Saratov, Tambov, Tula regions, the Moscow region, the Republic of Crimea, Krasnodar Krai and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Air defense systems destroyed 1,158 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones in the special operation zone in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry press service reported on August 2.
The agency also clarified that air defense forces shot down six guided aerial bombs and a rocket from a US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.
Furthermore, over the past 24 hours, Russian military forces struck Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure facilities that the enemy had exploited, logistics centers, and temporary deployment sites for Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries of the Kyiv regime in 156 districts. The strikes were carried out using tactical aviation, drones, missile forces, and artillery.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have recently intensified attacks on civilian targets in Russia. On August 1, two civilians were injured as a result of Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks in the Belgorod region. In the village of Oktyabrsky, an enemy FPV drone exploded in the courtyard of a private home, and a man sustained multiple shrapnel wounds. In the village of Tavrovo, a civilian sustained acupuncture when a Ukrainian drone struck a store. He was treated at the hospital.
#1
Since Ukraine sent ~ 300 and another Wildberries is burning, Engels airbase is hit again and several more oil pumping stations and 1 refinery in Omsk was hit, I'd say someone at Rantburg not only works for Vladimir Putin, they are as pathetic at pr as he has become.
Question is, why do Americans suck that Russian ass??Are all of you weirdos caught up in Epstein's pedophile honeytrap like Trump?
Posted by: Don Vito Speaking for Boskone1523 ||
08/03/2026 12:40 Comments ||
Top||
#2
#1 Since Ukraine sent ~ 300 and another Wildberries is burning, Engels airbase is hit again and several more oil pumping stations and 1 refinery in Omsk was hit, I'd say someone at Rantburg not only works for Vladimir Putin, they are as pathetic at pr as he has become.
Question is, why do Americans suck that Russian ass??Are all of you weirdos caught up in Epstein's pedophile honeytrap like Trump?
#3
Ukraine sent ~ 300 and another Wildberries is burning, Engels airbase is hit again and several more oil pumping stations and 1 refinery in Omsk was hit
Still complaining that presenting information from both sides is showing favouratism to Russia? You long since became a bore on the subject, my dear, though the first part of your first sentence is exactly the kind of useful summary our readers come to Rantburg for. We know you object, we don’t care because we find the balance useful, and if it bothers you then skip over the articles you find offensive to get to the ones you clearly keep coming back to read.
Under the circumstances, a small donation to keep a site you value going would not go amiss.
#4
I have wondered about these posts as well, but not from a pro- or anti- standpoint. It's just such a meaningless number. Who cares how many punches you threw. How many landed?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
