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Viewer Discretion Advised: Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has announced its involvement in an ambush that led to the deaths of Wagner Group mercenaries in Mali.
What’s the deal: According to reports on the ground, Wagner Group mercenaries were ambushed, leading to significant fatalities, including the death of their commander, Sergei Shevchenko. The battle unfolded over five days and involved clashes between Wagner forces, the Malian army, Tuareg separatists, and jihadi groups, with heavy weapons, drones, and suicide bombers in play.
2-kuzeyinde ayrılıkçı bölge olan Azawad’da Rus paralı asker grubu Africa Corps (#Wagner) ile #Azawad Tuareglilerine karşı operasyon gerçekleştiriyordu. Ama birkaç saat önce Azawad’daki Tinzaoutine şehri yakınlarında #Tuareg güçleri hava gücü de olan #AfricanCorps’a ağır pic.twitter.com/iqYpuhYyFz
— Tunç Demirtaş (@tuncdemirtas) July 27, 2024
What Ukraine is saying: Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR) has claimed involvement in an ambush that resulted in significant losses for the Wagner Group in Mali. Andrii Yusov, GUR’s spokesman, said, “the rebels received necessary information, and not just information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.” He added that they “won’t discuss the details at the moment, but there will be more to come.”
Why is Wagner in Mali?: Mali has depended on the Wagner Group to bolster its military efforts against insurgencies in the northern regions. This alliance began after a military junta seized power in 2020 and sought external support to stabilize the nation. According to the US, Wagner’s role is part of a broader Russian strategy to expand influence in Africa by offering military assistance to regimes dealing with internal conflicts. In return, Wagner often gets access to valuable resources such as gold, diamonds, and other minerals.
🇲🇱🇷🇺⚡ Vehicles left behind by the Malian army on the border with Algeria.
— War Watch (@WarWatchs) July 27, 2024
A Russian FPV drone was also found by the Tuareg rebels. pic.twitter.com/JG6nxdgU1u
🇲🇱 Els militants radicals TUAREGS 🇺🇸 A MALI, aterroritzant la seva pròpia població, posen amb la bandera d'UCRAÏNA 🇺🇦 La Direcció Estatal d'Intel·ligència d'Ucraïna confirma la implicació en la mort de combatents del PMC Wagner a Mali. Andrei Yusov 😡 ✊🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/iZcoCqPTVo
— JosepBastardas ☭ (@josepbastardas) July 29, 2024
More on the Tuareg separatists: The Tuareg separatists are an ethnic group in Mali, primarily inhabiting the northern regions, who have long desired independence from the government. Their struggle intensified in 2012 when they launched a rebellion, taking advantage of the chaos following a military coup in Bamako. This insurgency led to the brief establishment of the independent state of Azawad in northern Mali. However, internal divisions and the rise of jihadist groups complicated their efforts, leading to a complex conflict involving various factions.
The same movie but in the full version pic.twitter.com/Mf6IHlXvPh
— TOGA (@TOGAjano21) July 29, 2024