Satellite sleuths expose Russia's secret weapons pipeline to Africa

A detailed investigation by the Washington-based group C4ADS has revealed a sustained, three-year effort by Russia to ship heavy military equipment to Africa using civilian cargo vessels. By analyzing ship transponder data, satellite images, and local reports, researchers tracked a dozen vessels leaving Russian Baltic and Arctic ports, carrying tanks, MRAP armored vehicles, and rocket launchers to ports in Guinea, Libya, and Togo.

The logistics pipeline appears to support the Kremlin's official Africa Corps, the successor to the Wagner Group, with Mali as a key destination. Convoys of hundreds of vehicles, including T-72 tanks, were filmed arriving in the Malian capital shortly after ships docked. This open-source investigation provides a rare, concrete look at how Russia is projecting military power onto the African continent, using maritime supply chains to fuel its geopolitical ambitions.