The Russian private army "Wagner" has suffered heavy losses from the Tuareg in Mali. But is there an intervention of the Ukrainian military intelligence in this case?
The defeat of the band “Wagner" by the Tuareg in Mali is among the most serious, Telegram channels close to the group said. The loss is estimated to be the heaviest suffered by “Wagner" outside Ukraine since February 2018. Then American military helicopters hit a convoy of “Wagner" near the Syrian city of Khartoum. A similar attack against fighters of the Russian private army was carried out on July 27 by the Tuareg along the northeastern border of Mali: they destroyed an entire convoy and took prisoners.
The coalition of Tuareg rebels operates in the north of Mali, and in recent years the fighters of “Wagner" were fighting on the side of the government.
Where is the Ukrainian trace from?
Among the killed fighters is Nikita Fedyanin, whose Telegram channel had over half a million followers. In this channel, Fedyanin tells that since February 20, “Wagner" have launched an offensive in Mali.
At the same time, the Russian propaganda channel RT reported that Fedyanin had provided it with photos. They proved that the Tuareg separatists were trained by the Ukrainian military intelligence.
According to RT, the training was related to the use of reconnaissance and combat drones. However, Russian television showed only one photo of a fighter in front of a helicopter with his face covered and a Ukrainian emblem on his uniform.
The Ukrainian newspaper “Kyiv Post" circulated another photo - of armed men with the flags of the unrecognized Tuareg state of Azawad and of Ukraine. Some of the men, whose faces have been rendered unrecognizable, are not wearing the usual Tuareg head coverings and could, the newspaper says, be Ukrainian soldiers.
Profiles on the X platform, possibly close to the Azawad rebels, have featured captured fighters from “Wagner" to be handed over to Kyiv. In addition, thanks are extended to the National Guard of Ukraine for the drones.
Ultimately, Andriy Yusov from the Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed his participation in the attack against the fighters of “Wagner" in Mali. “The rebels received the necessary information, and not only information, which allowed them to conduct a successful military operation against Russian war criminals," he said on July 29.
What are Ukrainians doing in Mali?
Ukraine and Mali have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992, but their contacts have not been intense. And bilateral trade is insignificant, as statistics show - in 2021 it reached only 41 million dollars.
However, Ukrainian military and civilian specialists participated in the UN stabilization mission in Mali, MINUSMA, which ended last year. Since then, nothing has been heard about a Ukrainian military presence in Mali.
Meanwhile, the military government in Mali, which is fighting the independence-seeking Tuareg, has decided to engage the Russian group “Wagner". She is known in the region - along with her missions in the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Guinea and other African countries.
In these countries, the fighters from “Wagner" work for both private mining companies and governments. International humanitarian organizations and Western secret services have consistently accused the militants of carrying out brutal massacres of civilians.
Ukrainian military intelligence - in the crosshairs of “Wagner"
Among the enemies of the band “Wagner" in Africa in recent years is also the Ukrainian military intelligence.
„We are conducting operations to weaken Russia's military potential wherever possible. "Why should Africa be an exception?" he told the Washington Post in April. Kirilo Budanov, head of intelligence.
Then, for the first time, details of an operation in Sudan from the fall of 2023 became known. According to the “Wall Street Journal" the head of the Transitional Council in the country, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, asked Kiev for help. It is believed that it was given to him by a hundred military personnel from Ukraine, who assisted in the evacuation from the capital Khartoum.
„If the participation of Ukrainian forces in Mali is confirmed, it will mean that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not limited to the territory of Ukraine, but spreads elsewhere, especially in Africa," Africa expert Nina told DV Hosted by the Brussels think tank “Egmont-Institut".