Ukraine has denied media allegations that it had supplied drones to rebels fighting in northern Mali.
According to reports, Tuareg fighters in West Africa utilize Ukrainian drones with discreet but decisive help from Kyiv against the Mali army and Russia’s Wagner mercenary force, which claims to be fighting with them.
In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said, “Ukraine strongly rejects the accusations that have recently been released by international media outlets about our state’s alleged involvement in the supply of UAVs to the rebels in Mali.”
Mali, where military authorities seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is battling a years-long Islamist insurgency, with heavy fighting against Tuareg rebels ongoing near Mali’s border with Algeria.
Mali severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine in August after Kyiv stated that the rebels had received all “necessary” information to carry out operations that purportedly killed scores of Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters in the north.
Russia, which has increased its efforts to gain influence in Africa, notably Mali, has accused Ukraine of creating a “second front” against it by supporting fighters in Moscow-friendly African states.
Moscow has been waging a catastrophic war against Ukraine since February 2022, killing thousands of people, the great majority of whom are Ukrainian.
