Mali Cuts Ties With Ukraine Over Rebel Ambush Intelligence

Mali has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine following the revelation that Ukraine provided intelligence to Malian rebels involved in a deadly ambush against Wagner Group forces in July.

"The transitional government of the Republic of Mali condemns the hostility of the Ukrainian authorities, who disregard Mali's consistent call for a peaceful resolution to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine," government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga announced in a televised statement on Sunday.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), confirmed Kyiv had supplied the militants with intelligence for the attack. He stated on Ukrainian television in late July that "the rebels received the necessary information, enabling a successful military operation against Russian war criminals."

The ambush was orchestrated by Tuareg rebel groups in collaboration with the al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, JNIM (Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin). Known for their occasional cooperation, these groups appear to have joined forces to target the Russian convoy.

Following the attack, JNIM claimed responsibility for a "complex ambush" that annihilated the convoy, resulting in the deaths of 50 Russians and several Malian soldiers. They released videos showing multiple vehicles on fire and numerous bodies scattered across the area. A spokesman for a Tuareg militant group stated that some Malian troops and Russian fighters were captured during the battle.

According to some unofficial Russian Telegram channels, up to 80 Russians were killed, marking the most significant loss for Russian paramilitaries in several years of operations in Africa. This loss underscores the Kremlin's strategy of using proxy forces to challenge Western influence across the Sahel and Central Africa while supporting unstable regimes.