Russia is slowly forming its own ‘NATO’ bloc with Algeria, Africa’s 2nd-strongest military, Libya and 3 Sahel nations despite Europe’s efforts to isolate it

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

That momentum is building as Europe seeks to isolate Russia, while Moscow draws closer to governments seeking to reduce Western influence amid growing strains between the US and Europe.

Over the past two years, that convergence has hardened into a Russian-centred security network built around bases, troops, advanced weapons, training and logistics corridors stretching from the Mediterranean into the Sahel.

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 its 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 key logistics corridor 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.

Algeria has one of Africa’s most sophisticated armed forces and has relied heavily on Russian equipment for decades.

Its arsenal includes 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, clearing the way for closer coordination between Algeria and Russia’s Sahel partners.

That rapprochement was soon followed by a visible show of military cooperation, with Algeria recently supplying Niger with two Mi-24V attack helicopters and two Mi-171 multirole helicopters, alongside ammunition, spare parts, maintenance equipment and other logistical support.

Mali provides the clearest evidence of the scale of Moscow’s weapons pipeline, with Russian shipments including 152mm artillery pieces, BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers, Spartak armoured vehicles, tanker trucks and other military hardware.

Russian Su-24 fighter-bombers have appeared at Bamako’s airbase, while earlier deliveries included Su-25 ground-attack aircraft, L-39 light attack aircraft, Mi-24 attack helicopters and Mi-8 transport helicopters.

In July 2026, another shipment destined for Africa Corps forces in Mali included BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers, Tigr-M protected vehicles, trucks, motorcycles and anti-aircraft cannon.

C4ADS also tracked 75 Russian military-linked flights involving Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger between January 2025 and July 2026, with Burkina Faso emerging as an important transit hub.

As countries turn to military blocs for collective security, Moscow is drawing Algeria, Haftar-controlled Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger into a connected anti-West security network while feeding them advanced Russian weapons and military support.

The G7 has voiced concern over the “growing presence of Russian affiliated forces in Mali and elsewhere on the continent and their potentially destabilizing impact.”

For Europe, the concern is particularly acute in Libya, where Russia’s access to Haftar-controlled bases gives it a strategic position close to NATO’s southern flank and a logistics bridge into the Sahel.

No treaty yet binds the five states into a Russian-led alliance, but the overlap in weapons, bases, training and logistics is beginning to resemble the foundations of one.