From Learning Russian to Martial Arts: Malian Official Recounts His Studies in Russia
12:48 08.08.2026 (Updated: 13:04 08.08.2026)
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From Learning Russian to Martial Arts: Malian Official Recounts His Studies in Russia
Studying in Russia in 1980s also made it possible to pursue the passion for combat sports, Fousseynou Ouattara told Sputnik Africa.
"I was more of a taekwondo practitioner. Then I became a hand-to-hand combat instructor. I became familiar with the Russian military environment. In that environment, you cannot train others without mastering the language. That pushed me even further to deepen my knowledge of Russian," he noted.
After the collapse of the USSR, the federation of martial arts was established under the Russian Ministry of Defense, where Ouattara held "the rank of inspector of the armed forces for training."
Moreover, he praised the bravery of young volunteers joining the Africa Corps, the Russian Armed Forces' unit on the continent, in the fight against terrorism.
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