Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement<\/a> that the country “strongly rejects the accusations that have recently been released by the international media outlets about the alleged involvement of our state in the supply of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] to the rebels in Mali”.<\/p>\nIt also denied allegations by Malian and Nigerien officials that Ukraine was arming, providing information and giving “support to the terrorist coalition”.<\/p>\n
It called for an end to “spreading of the false information that repeats the fake narratives of the aggressor state Russia\u2019s propaganda”.<\/p>\n
In late July, at least 84 Russia-backed fighters and 47 Malian soldiers were reportedly killed following days of clashes with Tuareg separatist rebels and fighters linked to al-Qaeda at Tinzaouten, in northern Mali.<\/p>\n
It was seen as the heaviest-ever African defeat for the Wagner mercenary group, which has since been renamed Corps Africa.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Kyiv\u2019s military intelligence service, Andriy Yusov, then said that the rebels in Mali had \u201creceived necessary information\u201d to successfully carry out the attack.<\/p>\n
Le Monde newspaper reports that since Yusov\u2019s statement, the Mali rebel commanders \u201chave been forced to reluctantly acknowledge a co-operation they would have preferred to keep secret\u201d.<\/p>\n
The paper says that the rebels have admitted having “links” with Kyiv, although “they were not forthcoming about the provenance of their drones\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mali cut diplomatic relations with Ukraine in August,<\/a> in the wake of Yusov’s remarks, with a top official accusing Ukraine of violating the country\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\nRussia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has been waging a devastating war since then.<\/p>\n
Facing isolation by Western countries because of the war, it has been seeking to gain influence in Africa by establishing political and security links, including in Mali.<\/p>\n