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

<p>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?</p><p><em>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:&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/subscribe/digital/?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio&amp;utm_campaign=podcastsubs&amp;utm_content=storiesofourtimes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes</em></a><em>. </em></p><p><strong>Guest:</strong>&nbsp;Roger Boyes, diplomatic editor, The Times.</p><p><strong>Host:</strong>&nbsp;Manveen Rana.</p><p><strong>Clips: </strong>Al Jazeera, BBC, NBC, Euronews, France 24, Reuters.</p> &#10;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color: grey; font - size: 0.75em; '>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>