Mali severs diplomatic relations with Ukraine following allegations of Wagner Group involvement in attacks

Mali has announced that it is cutting diplomatic ties with Ukraine following comments made by a senior Ukrainian official admitting Kyiv’s role in a heavy defeat in July that resulted in the deaths of dozens of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group and Malian soldiers. The Tuareg rebels claimed responsibility for the incident, in which at least 84 mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers were killed over three days of fighting in the northern part of the country. Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesperson, Andriy Yusov, stated that the rebels had received information allowing them to carry out the attack on the Russian mercenaries. Mali expressed shock over the remarks and accused Ukraine of being involved in a terrorist attack against its Defense and Security Forces. This led Mali to sever diplomatic ties with Ukraine immediately.
The fighting near the Algerian border on July 25 resulted in a significant number of deaths on the Malian side, but exact figures have not been released. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed his support for Mali in a telephone call with his Malian counterpart. The Malian military, which seized power in a 2020 coup, has been working to combat separatist and extremist groups in the country. The relationship with Russia has grown stronger, with Wagner operating in Mali since late 2021. The mercenary group has been accused of carrying out raids and drone strikes that have resulted in civilian casualties, although Malian authorities deny these allegations.

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