Kyiv's secret support: How Ukrainian intelligence and more hit Russian Wagner group hard in Mali

Ukrainian intelligence, and perhaps weapons, played a role in aiding Malian rebels in their ambush against Russia’s Wagner group.

Last week, a Telegram channel linked to Wagner leadership admitted that the group had suffered severe casualties during fierce battles in Mali.

Over a five-day period, Wagner fighters, alongside the Malian armed forces, engaged in intense combat against a coalition of Tuareg separatist forces and jihadi groups. These adversaries, armed with heavy weapons, drones, and suicide bombers, inflicted substantial losses, including the death of Wagner commander Sergei Shevchenko, The Guardian reported.

How Ukraine helped

According to Andrii Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency, “The rebels received necessary information, and not just information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.”

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Yusov stressing that rebels received “not just information”, hinted at a coordinated effort that could have involved training or weapons assistance or both.

Yusov did not confirm whether Ukrainian military personnel were present in Mali but emphasised the significance of the intelligence provided.

The Kyiv Post recently published a photograph purportedly showing Malian rebels holding a Ukrainian flag, which it said was authenticated by a defense source in Kyiv.

Why Ukraine helped

The involvement of Ukrainian drones and intelligence in Mali is part of a broader strategy by Kyiv to weaken Russian forces wherever they operate. By targeting Wagner in Africa, Ukraine aims to diminish the group’s capabilities and exact revenge for the atrocities committed by Wagner fighters in Ukraine.

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This approach also serves to disrupt Russian economic interests in Africa, where Wagner is known to be involved in exploiting resources such as gold, diamonds, gas, and oil, The Guardian reported.

“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 lower 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.”