Ukrainian intelligence, and possibly weapons, played a significant role in assisting Malian rebels in their successful ambush against Russia’s Wagner group. Last week, a Telegram channel connected to Wagner leadership acknowledged severe casualties suffered by the group during intense battles in Mali. Over a five-day period, Wagner fighters, alongside Malian armed forces, engaged in fierce combat against a coalition of Tuareg separatist forces and jihadi groups. These adversaries, equipped with heavy weaponry, drones, and suicide bombers, inflicted substantial losses, including the death of Wagner commander Sergei Shevchenko, as reported by The Guardian.
According to Andrii Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency, the rebels received crucial information, and possibly more, which enabled the successful military operation against Russian war criminals. Yusov’s statement, highlighting the rebels receiving “not just information,” hinted at a coordinated effort that could have involved training, weapons assistance, or both. Yusov refrained from confirming the presence of Ukrainian military personnel in Mali but emphasized the significance of the intelligence provided. The Kyiv Post recently published a photograph allegedly showing Malian rebels holding a Ukrainian flag, which it claimed was authenticated by a defense source in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s involvement in Mali is part of a broader strategy to weaken Russian forces wherever they operate. By targeting Wagner in Africa, Ukraine aims to diminish the group’s capabilities and seek retribution for the atrocities committed by Wagner fighters in Ukraine. This approach also serves to disrupt Russian economic interests in Africa, where Wagner is known to be engaged in the exploitation of resources such as gold, diamonds, gas, and oil, as reported by The Guardian. “For Moscow, the African countries where Wagner is present are just zones of interest that allow it to get hold of resources – gold, diamonds, gas, and oil – and the money goes to finance Russian aggression,” explained Serhii Kuzan, director of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center in Kyiv.
By targeting Wagner in Africa, Ukraine not only disrupts these economic interests but also seeks to “liquidate” some of the most experienced Wagner fighters and reduce the group’s overall military potential. The Mali government, which has been battling various insurgencies in the north of the country for over a decade, sought Wagner’s assistance after a military junta took power in 2020. In May last year, the US imposed sanctions on the head of Wagner in Mali, accusing the group of using its operations there as a conduit for military equipment for the war in Ukraine. “A significant part of the destroyed fighters got military experience in Ukraine, where they carried out hundreds or thousands of war crimes,” Kuzan added. “These crimes should be punished, and Russian war criminals should know that they will never be safe.”
