The news release came after Russia said earlier in the day that it was seeking stability in the country, in which it has won significant influence since Goita’s military government took power in a coup in 2021. West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and the Tuareg separatist group on Saturday hit Mali’s main army base and the area near Bamako’s airport, while driving Russian soldiers – deployed in support of government forces – out of Kidal in the north. ... The same day, the Russian Ministry of Defence issued a statement declaring that its paramilitary forces had helped prevent a coup during...