Defense Intelligence of Ukraine prepared attack on Wagner group in Mali last year - The Times

The Times notes that the Malian military junta severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine due to its support for rebels in the West African state, who defeated Wagner Group militants.

According to documents from the US National Security Agency, Ukrainian intelligence planned attacks on Wagner Group fighters during their overseas missions.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, stated that Ukrainian spies provided the rebels with intelligence data - and not just intelligence data - for conducting a successful military operation.

It is also reported that over the past year, Ukrainian special forces have been involved in operations against Wagner Group militants in Sudan.

Yusov added that “you will see more of this in the future”.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the decision to sever diplomatic ties with Kyiv as short-sighted and hasty. They called the move regrettable and stated that Mali acted without a thorough examination of the facts and circumstances... and without providing any evidence of Ukraine’s involvement.

Severance of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Mali

At the end of July, Tuareg rebels from the CSP-PSD movement released materials about the destruction of a Wagner Group mercenary column in Mali. According to their reports, the clashes occurred on July 25 and 26 near the Algerian border.

The losses sustained by Wagner in Mali are the heaviest outside Ukraine since 2018 when up to 200 militants were killed in a clash with US troops in Syria.

On August 5, it was reported that the Malian military junta severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine. The transitional government of Mali accused Kyiv of supporting Tuareg rebels in the destruction of a column of Malian troops and Wagner mercenaries.

For more details on this attack and information about the Tuaregs, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.