Europe’s most powerful nuclear-armed military is quietly building its own security bloc outside NATO with Algeria, Libya and three Sahel nation

The alignment is not yet formal like NATO or the Pakistan-Saudi-Türkiye pact, but Russia’s July meeting with AES states and role in repairing Mali-Algeria ties have paved the way for deeper cooperation, with sources saying a broader framework could follow.

That momentum is building as Europe seeks to isolate Russia and warns of its growing influence in Africa.

That strategy has found fertile ground among governments with similar anti-West sentiment, strengthening the political and security foundations of a potentially broader military bloc.

Libya is one of the clearest signs of that shift, with Russia’s expanding military footprint drawing concern from the United States, the G7 and Europe over Moscow’s growing reach into the Sahel.

Much of that presence is tied to Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army controls large parts of eastern and southern Libya, giving Russia a strategic position close to NATO’s southern flank and a crucial logistics bridge into sub-Saharan Africa.

Recent reports cited by Business Insider Africa indicate that Russia has expanded its presence across six Libyan airbases: Jufra, Al-Khadim, Ghardabiya, Brak Al-Shati, Maaten Al-Sarra and Tamanhint.

The bases have hosted Russian personnel, MiG-29 fighter jets, drones and air-defence systems, while Haftar’s forces have continued to receive Russian military hardware, including Tor systems, BM-30 Smerch rocket launchers and Pantsir-S1 air defences.

While Libya provides geography, Algeria brings conventional military power.

The country operates one of Africa’s most capable armed forces and has relied heavily on Russian equipment for decades, including Su-30 multirole fighters, MiG-29s, Russian-built submarines, tanks and advanced air-defence systems.

That relationship gave Russia a strong incentive to ease tensions after Algeria shot down a Malian drone in April 2025, prompting Burkina Faso and Niger to back Bamako and widening the dispute across the AES.

Russia subsequently worked behind the scenes to repair ties. Africa Intelligence reported that Russian diplomats spent nearly two months pushing for normalisation, while Niger also helped mediate.

By July 2026, Algeria and Mali had restored diplomatic relations, returned their ambassadors and reopened their airspace.

The improved relations were followed by closer military cooperation with Niger. Algeria supplied two Mi-24V attack helicopters and two Mi-171 multirole helicopters, along with ammunition, spare parts and logistical support.

“That is proof of how collective protection and deterrence within the emerging security network could work in practice,” an analyst told Business Insider Africa.

Mali provides some of the clearest evidence of the scale of Russia’s military supply network in the Sahel.

An Associated Press investigation identified Russian deliveries of 152mm artillery, BTR-80 carriers, Spartak armoured vehicles and other military hardware, while satellite imagery showed at least one Su-24 fighter-bomber at a Bamako airbase.

The buildup has also extended to Malian aviation, with Janes documenting deliveries of Su-25 ground-attack aircraft, L-39 light attack aircraft, Mi-24 attack helicopters and Mi-8 transport helicopters.

In July 2026, another shipment to Africa Corps forces in Mali included BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, BTR-82A carriers, Tigr-M vehicles and anti-aircraft cannon.

C4ADS, a Washington-based security research organisation, also tracked 75 Russian military-linked flights involving Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger between January 2025 and July 2026, identifying Burkina Faso as a key transit hub.

The expanding footprint has sharpened Western concern, with the G7 warning about the “growing presence of Russian affiliated forces in Mali and elsewhere on the continent and their potentially destabilizing impact”.