Ukraine Reveals Covert Mali Ops Against Russian Troops — SkimNews
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- Ukraine's military intelligence posted photos of operatives in Africa for the first time this month, with Kyrylo Budanov — former spy chief now heading President Zelensky's office — sharing an image of a Ukrainian officer alongside about 15 masked African rebels in desert camouflage.
- The photos are widely identified as taken in northern Mali, where Ukrainian operatives are providing drone expertise to the Tuareg separatist Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) to detect and attack Russian troop convoys.
- Russia has deployed approximately 1,500 to 2,000 troops in Mali, backed by warplanes, drones, and armoured vehicles, to protect the military regime that expelled French and UN forces after coups in 2020 and 2021.
- Mali severed diplomatic relations with Kyiv in 2024 after Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov said rebels had received "the necessary information" to kill dozens of Russian soldiers in northern Mali.
- In April's large-scale offensive, the FLA formed an alliance with JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate, to fight Malian and Russian forces — a partnership that analysts warn creates indirect reputational risk for Ukraine.
- Ukraine has opened eight new embassies in Africa since 2023 to counter Moscow's influence, while Moscow announced eight new "Russian Houses" cultural centers across the continent earlier this month.
- Analysts told The Globe and Mail that Ukraine's Africa operations offer Kyiv a low-cost way to bleed Russian resources, but association with armed rebel groups could undermine the diplomatic trust Ukraine is trying to build with African states.
Why it matters: Mali already cut ties with Kyiv in 2024 over hints of covert involvement, and the FLA's new partnership with al-Qaeda-linked JNIM gives African governments fresh ammunition to distance themselves. The photo release complicates Kyiv's eight-embassy charm offensive at the exact moment Moscow is matching it with eight new "Russian Houses" on the continent.
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