Russia has issued a big warning to the West-backed ECOWAS bloc as it warned against any military intervention in Niger. The Russian foreign ministry issued a statement saying that a military solution to the crisis in Niger could lead to a protracted confrontation in that African country, and to a sharp destabilisation of the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region as a whole. This as the ECOWAS bloc of West African countries approved deployment of standby forces as Junta continues to defy them and their backers in the west. Watch the video for more.