The Soviet Union recognised the independence of Mali on 7 July 1960, and diplomatic relations between the two states were established on 14 October 1960.

[4][5] Under the cultural agreement Russia sent circus performers, sports coaches and a soccer team to Mali.

[7] On 16 January 1992, Mali recognised the Russian Federation as the successor state of the Soviet Union, after the latter's dissolution.

[8] In 2020, a coup d'état in Mali deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and replaced his government with a junta led by Colonel Assimi Goïta.

[17] In February 2023, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov met Malian military junta leaders to ensure his country's support to Mali against the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel.