These tactics and equipment may be welcomed by the juntas, who have often criticised Western partners for restricting access to offensive weaponry.

But they also present a concern: Trench warfare and heavy artillery are unlikely to meaningfully address local threats.

While Russia’s military presence in the region is no secret, the videos reveal unexpected details about the training being provided. Training focused on artillery, FPV drones, drone-dropped munitions, and trench-style tactics, for example, are reminiscient of the war in Ukraine.

A final set of training footage was filmed in Equatorial Guinea. Equatorial Guinean soldiers are seen undergoing firearms and medical training at an undetermined location.

The footage matches an earlier video filmed in 2024 and shared by okspn, a Russian military blogger.

Using aerial footage from the earlier video, we geolocated the training to a shooting range in southwestern Niamey [13.581001, 2.013836], near the Tondibiah military base.

In another set of clips, soldiers in Nigerien National Guard and Armed Forces uniforms are guided through firearms and FPV drone drills.

Some images appear to have been shot in Mali, where Africa Corps recently bolstered its presence.

They show medical instructors sporting chevrons used by Russian army medics in Ukraine. Beside them: a KamAZ ZSA-T “Linza” armored ambulance delivered to Mali in January 2025.

One clip shows a BM-21 “Grad” MLRS, a powerful, albeit imprecise system linked by human rights groups to high rates of collateral deaths.

We geolocated the footage to Al Jufra airbase, Libya, a known hub for Russian military flights to other parts of Africa.

In March and April 2025, Russia’s Africa Corps shared footage showing its provision of military training.

We analysed and verified the videos, linking them to deployments in Libya, Mali, Niger, and Equatorial Guinea.