German troops spotted several dozen presumably Russian security forces at Gao airport in northern Mali on Monday, the day the last French soldiers wrapped up their operations and left the town, according to a German military document dated Tuesday.
Berlin's participation in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali has been controversial for some time in Germany as the West African country deepens its Soviet-era ties with Russia.
The letter, addressed to the parliament's defence and foreign committees and first reported on by Spiegel magazine, went on to point out that Russia had handed over L-39 ground attack aircraft to the Malian forces only last week. "They were almost certainly members of the Russian security forces. It has to be assumed that the L-39 has to be operated by Russian forces as the Malian security forces are not up to it," the letter said.