As Niger has distanced itself from the West, it has drawn closer to Russia.
Last month, Russian military instructors arrived in Niger as part of a new agreement with its military leaders.
Niger has also broken away itself from local democracies and sought stronger regional alliances with fellow junta-led nations Burkina Faso and Mali.
The trio have quit Ecowas – the West African regional body which opposed their military takeovers.
They have also quit the French-backed G5 Sahel force, saying it was ineffectual and undermined African sovereignty, and launched their own defence pact called the Alliance of Sahel States.
