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Ukraine has denied claims that it supplied drones to rebels fighting against the Malian army and Russia-backed mercenaries. This follows a report from French newspaper *Le Monde*, which alleged that Ukrainian drones were supporting Tuareg rebels, who it said were receiving “discreet but decisive support” from Kyiv.
Mali’s military-led government, which ended its alliance with France in 2022 in favor of Russia, has struggled to quell the insurgency in the north, suffering heavy losses alongside its Russian allies. Following the shift to Russian support, Mali and its neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso—both also under military rule—have accused Ukraine of backing terrorism in the Sahel region. This was after a Ukrainian official earlier this year claimed the country had provided assistance to the rebels.
However, Ukraine’s foreign ministry strongly rejected these accusations in a statement on Monday. The ministry denied supplying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Malian rebels and refuted claims by Malian and Nigerien officials that it was arming and providing intelligence to what they described as a “terrorist coalition.” The ministry urged an end to the “false information” spread by Russia’s propaganda efforts, calling the accusations baseless.
In late July, Mali and its Russian partners, including fighters from the Wagner mercenary group (now rebranded as Corps Africa), suffered heavy losses in northern Mali after clashes with Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked fighters. The incident marked the deadliest defeat for Russia-backed forces in Africa to date, with at least 84 mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers reportedly killed.
Following the clashes, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov stated that the Malian rebels had received “necessary information” to carry out the attack successfully. *Le Monde* reported that rebel commanders in Mali have since been forced to acknowledge some cooperation with Ukraine, though they have been reluctant to disclose the source of their drones.
In response to these developments, Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine in August, accusing it of violating the country’s sovereignty. While Ukraine continues to face isolation from many Western countries due to Russia’s ongoing invasion, Moscow has been working to build influence in Africa, including in Mali, by establishing political and security partnerships.
