A group of Wagner Group militants was ambushed and eliminated in Mali, according to reports.

In Mali, the group "Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin" (JNIM), linked to "Al-Qaeda," ambushed fighters from the Russian private military company "Wagner." As a result, at least half a dozen mercenaries were killed.

According to Bloomberg, six militants were killed, while Reuters reported seven. Their vehicles were also set on fire.

A security service employee in Mali clarified that the "Wagner" fighters were attacked on Thursday, November 21. They were guarding a checkpoint in Mopti, a city in the central region of the country.

Russian mercenaries, who transitioned to the "African Corps" under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense after the death of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, have now been ambushed in Mali for the second time. A similar incident occurred in July on the border with Algeria, where Wagner fighters were attacked by Tuareg rebels (CSP) in Tin-Zaouatine. As a result, all members of the 13th assault squad were killed.

The private military company has not disclosed specific casualty figures. According to sources from the pro-Kremlin media outlet "African Initiative" within the Malian army, over 25 Russians were killed at that time. The former commander of the 13th squad of the PMC, known by the call sign "Rusich," claimed that nearly 100 personnel were lost, with more than 80 fatalities. Tuareg rebels told Bloomberg that a total of 121 individuals were killed: 84 Wagner fighters and 47 government soldiers.

At that time, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed involvement in the destruction of Russian mercenaries in Mali. The agency's spokesman Andriy Yusov stated that the intelligence service provided reconnaissance data to the Tuaregs to organize the ambush. Following this, the Malian authorities severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

Later, Russia assisted the junta ruling the country in organizing a strike against the families of rebels involved in the July attack, resulting in the deaths of at least 21 civilians, including 11 children, as reported by Bild.

Background. Ukraine has denied allegations regarding the supposed supplies of drones to the rebels in Mali. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Ukraine was the first to initiate the introduction of a monitoring and control system for arms supplied by Western countries.