In 2021, the Malian government had hired the Wagner group, a privately owned Russian military company, to provide training to its armed forces and security to government officials, tasks that the French forces neglected.

After the French left, the Malian Armed Forces and the Wagner Group generally conducted joint operations.

Soldiers from the Wagner Group and the Malian Armed Forces were operating on the Algerian border near the commune of Tinzaouaten in late July when an insurgent group ambushed them, leaving dozens of Malian and Wagner forces killed, injured or captured and the insurgents in control of the commune.

Andriy Yusov, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, was speaking on Ukrainian television when he indicated Kyiv’s possible involvement: “That the rebels received the necessary data to successfully carry out an operation against Russian war criminals has been observed by the entire world. Of course, we will not disclose details.” (Al Jazeera, Aug. 8)

Some security analysts with inside knowledge of the attacks said Ukrainian forces could have provided limited training to Tuareg fighters, teaching them how to operate drones, drop IEDs [improvised explosive devices] and launch mortar attacks.

Ukraine is proving to be a very useful proxy for both European and U.S. [neo]imperialists.