Emails meant for US sent to Kremlin ally Mali after Ministry of Defence blunder

The Ministry of Defence has launched an investigation after officials unwittingly sent emails containing classified information to a close Russian ally because of a typing error.

A “small number” of emails intended for the Pentagon were sent to Mali because of the accidental omission of an “i” from an email address.

British officials sent the messages to an address ending with the west African country’s .ml domain, rather than the US military’s .mil.

The same error in the US was revealed last week to have resulted in millions of military emails going to Mali.

It was argued that the scale of the British mishap, first reported by The Times, paled in comparison.

An MoD spokesman said: “We have opened an investigation after a small number of emails were mistakenly forwarded to an incorrect email domain.

“We are confident they did not contain any information that could compromise operational security or technical data.

“All sensitive information is shared on systems designed to minimise the risk of misdirection.

“The MoD constantly reviews its processes and is currently undertaking a programme of work to improve information management, data loss prevention, and the control of sensitive information.”

Mali was among the six African countries promised free grain shipments by Russian President Vladimir Putin after the collapse of the Black Sea deal with Ukraine.

Moscow’s Wagner mercenaries have also been deployed in Mali to fight alongside the army against jihadists.