What are Vladimir Putin's mercenaries doing in West Africa?

When a cargo plane containing four helicopters and a large consignment of military hardware touched down in the capital of Mali last month, observers raised an eyebrow. The kit was definitely from Russia – but was this the Russian army, or something else?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Roger Boyes, diplomatic editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Al Jazeera, BBC, NBC, Euronews, France 24, Reuters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.