Vladimir Putin is facing shame in Mali after Russias Wagner group failed to stop jihadi attacks that killed 100 people despite promises to improve security.
The attacks on September 17, which killed mostly young police recruits, saw the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) appear to easily cause chaos on two of the countrys most secured sites.
The attacks came as a humiliation to Putin and Russias Wagner mercenary group, which had replaced France and the United Nations in Mali by vowing to bring safety where they had not.
Prior to the killings in late July, a Wagner column was ambushed and massacred near the Algerian border.
Malis northern Tuareg rebels claimed they killed at least 84 mercenaries, as well nearly 50 Malian soldiers after cornering them amid a sandstorm.
This contradicts the image of Russian assistance that Putin was promoting this week in a summit of African leaders, which saw him offer allies total support.
Ulf Laessing, director of the Sahel programme at German think tank the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told The Telegraph: Overall, they havent been able to achieve more than the French or the Europeans in improving security and some say they have made it worse because they are so brutal.
Vladimir Putin (pictured) is facing shame in Mali after Russias Wagner group failed to stop jihadi attacks that killed 100 people despite promises to improve security
Dozens of Wagner private army troops were killed in an ambush in Mali in a significant setback for Putin
From a marketing point of view it will be more difficult for Russia to present that they are really doing much, or are more successful than the French and the Europeans were.
Mali has suffered a deep crisis since at least 2011, whenTuareg separatists and radical Islamist factions invaded Timbuktu, Gao and various other towns.
Troops from France helped out, initially winning some successes, but became tangled up in a tricky counter-insurgency mission spoiled by strained ties with the government.
Wagner has around 1,500 mercenaries in Mali, 400 in Burkina Faso and around 100 in Niger.
However, the countrys situation has only been getting worse, even prior to Wagners public struggles this year.