Russian Infauna electronic warfare vehicle spotted in Mali

A Russian RB-531B Infauna electronic warfare vehicle has been photographed with Russia’s Africa Corps in Mali, according to images shared on social media by the open-source account Hammer Of War. The vehicle, built to jam radio communications and the signals used to set off roadside bombs, would be one of the more specialized pieces of Russian equipment seen with the Defense Ministry-controlled force in the Sahel.

The account first posted a photo on Oct. 31 identifying the vehicle as an Infauna. In a follow-up post on Nov. 1, it shared a second image, taken in June 2025, showing a similar Russian-made electronic warfare vehicle with the Africa Corps, which it said could be either an Infauna or an R-934BMV Borisoglebsk-2. Neither Russia nor Mali has commented on the photos, and the date and location of the newer image have not been independently confirmed.

The Infauna sits on the K1Sh1 armored chassis, a variant of the BTR-80 wheeled armored personnel carrier. Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms exporter, markets an export version, the RB-531BE, as a system that searches for, locates and jams VHF radio communications, blocks radio-controlled mines and improvised explosive devices whether moving or stopped, and fires aerosol screens to hide nearby vehicles from aimed small-arms fire.

That mix of tasks fits the threat Russian and Malian forces face in Mali, where jihadist groups and separatist fighters regularly ambush convoys and use roadside bombs on the routes between bases. The Borisoglebsk-2, the other possible identification, is a larger system aimed mainly at jamming enemy radio networks and has been used heavily by Russia in Ukraine.

Russia has been sending heavier equipment to Mali since the Africa Corps took over from the Wagner Group. The Defence Blog previously reported on Russian tanks and armored vehicles spotted in Mali, and the Africa Corps has since fielded a range of armored vehicles across the country.

The force has also taken losses. In April, coordinated attacks by al-Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists forced the Africa Corps to withdraw from the northern city of Kidal, and The Moscow Times geolocated videos showing a convoy leaving the city and destroyed armored vehicles that analysts said had been delivered to Russian forces in Mali in 2025.