After Ecowas said it would put together a standby force, Russia said that military involvement in Niger would lead to a “long-term conflict.”
The Russian foreign ministry said such an operation would make the Sahel area less stable.
Russia does not officially back the coup.
But the US says that its Wagner mercenary group is taking advantage of the instability because it wants to bring back deposed head Mohamed Bazoum.
On Friday, people who supported the coup waved Russian flags and chanted “Down with France, down with Ecowas” at a French military base near the city of Niamey.
Both France and the US have military bases in Niger. These sites have been used to attack jihadist groups in the surrounding area.
There are rumors that military leaders from Ecowas countries will meet on Saturday to make plans for a military invasion.
The bloc has said that it is still open to finding a diplomatic solution to the problem, but Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said on Thursday, “Nothing is off the table, including the use of force as a last resort.”
The US has not said that it backs military action, but it has asked the junta to step down and let the democratic law of the country be restored.
The Niger junta hasn’t said anything about what Ecowas leaders have said recently.
BBC