The sanctioned Russian cargo vessel Mikhail Britnev (IMO: 9081370) arrived at the port of Lomé in Togo after departing from Arkhangelsk, with a stop in Kaliningrad en route. During the voyage, the vessel was escorted by a Russian Navy large landing ship, raising the possibility that Lomé could become a new Russian logistics gateway to the Sahel region amid strikes on Africa Corps positions in Mali.
The Mikhail Britnev was escorted by a large landing ship
The Mikhail Britnev is a 136-meter-long general cargo vessel with a deadweight of 12,700 tons. With five cargo holds and a reinforced structure for heavy loads, it is equipped to carry standard and refrigerated containers. Its Ice Class 1A rating allows the cargo ship to operate on Arctic routes.
According to data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the Mikhail Britnev departed from the port of Arkhangelsk on June 3 and called at the port of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad Region on June 11. En route, the crew reported that the vessel’s draft had increased to 6.7 meters (indicating partial loading). The ship remained in Kaliningrad for a week without unloading (according to data transmitted by the crew).
The OSINT project SONARROW published a satellite image from June 16, taken while the Mikhail Britnev was docked in the port of Baltiysk. According to the project’s analysts, the vessel appeared to be loading Russian military equipment, including infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers.
On June 18, the cargo vessel set off through the Baltic Sea and the English Channel into the Atlantic. As The Insider previously reported, after leaving Kaliningrad via the Fehmarn Belt between Germany and Denmark, the Mikhail Britnev was accompanied by the large landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin, which was equipped with an anti-drone net covering part of the superstructure on the bow side.
After passing through the English Channel on June 23, the Mikhail Britnev turned off its AIS system. However, the maritime OSINT project Russian Forces Spotter reported that on June 25 the Mikhail Britnev was photographed west of Portugal — still under the escort of the Aleksandr Shabalin.
Mikhail Britnev reappeared on tracking services only on July 9 at the port of Lomé (Togo). The day before its arrival, it had listed Dakar, Senegal, as its destination.
Russia has previously shipped armored vehicles to Africa via a similar route
The Mikhail Britnev’s voyage may represent only one of multiple deliveries of equipment to Russian units and Moscow’s partners in Africa. In March, the OSINT project SONARROW reported on the arrival of the Russian cargo vessel SABETTA (IMO: 9347061) from Kaliningrad at the port of Conakry in Guinea. According to the project’s assessment of satellite imagery of the Kaliningrad port, a large quantity of Russian military equipment, including armored vehicles, had been loaded onto the cargo ship before its departure.
Fighting around Africa Corps positions in Mali
The Mikhail Britnev’s arrival in Lomé came shortly after large-scale attacks on positions of the Malian army and the Russian forces supporting it. In early July, Tuareg rebels and al-Qaeda-linked jihadists attacked Anéfis, Agelhoc, and Gao in northern Mali, Sévaré and the Konna area in the center of the country, as well as a prison south of the capital Bamako. One of the main targets was Anéfis in the Kidal region, where units of Russia’s Africa Corps are stationed, along with counterparts from the Malian army. Malian and Russian forces had retreated there from Kidal and Tessalit after an earlier rebel offensive.
Representatives of the Tuareg Azawad Liberation Front stated that their fighters had entered Anéfis and taken control of the city, while Russian and Malian forces remained in a nearby camp. The Malian army, for its part, claimed that all attacks had been repelled.
Tuareg rebels later claimed that they had shot down a military helicopter linked to Russia’s Africa Corps. The Russian pro-war Telegram channel Afrikar also reported the loss of a Mi-24 and around ten vehicles after a Malian army column heading from Gao to reinforce the group near Anéfis was ambushed.
After breaking ties with France and other Western partners, Mali’s military junta made Russia one of its main external military allies. Russia’s Africa Corps, linked to the Ministry of Defense, replaced the Wagner Group and helps the Malian army hold territory and fight jihadists and Tuareg separatists.
The significance of Lomé
The deep-water port of Lomé is capable of receiving large container ships and military vessels. Previously, the port of Conakry in Guinea was used to deliver supplies to Russian forces in Mali. Lomé could become an alternative logistics hub, as the port is connected by a transport corridor to Burkina Faso, which borders Mali. In October 2025, the Russian government ratified a military cooperation agreement with Togo. The document provides for joint military exercises, training of Togolese military personnel, and intelligence sharing. Official military cooperation between Moscow and Lomé has been developing since 2022, when Togo received Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters from Russia. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, there were also reports of the recruitment of Togolese military personnel to fight on the Russian side.
