Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko has accused Ukrainian military personnel of creating a “second front” against Russia in Africa, naming Mali and Libya.
Borisenko told TASS that Ukrainians were training Islamist fighters in Mali to use drones and alleged that Ukrainian instructors helped attack the Russian tanker Arktik Metagaz off Libya in March. He presented no publicly verifiable evidence. Kommersant carried the allegations on July 17.
Kyiv has not acknowledged deploying personnel to either country. The closest it came was after the July 2024 battle of Tinzaouaten, where Tuareg rebels inflicted Wagner’s heaviest single defeat in Africa. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov said the rebels had received “necessary information,” but did not confirm direct Ukrainian involvement. Ukraine later denied supplying drones, while the rebels said they had received no foreign assistance.
What is confirmed is the deterioration of Russia’s security position in Mali. The Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front and al-Qaeda-linked JNIM launched coordinated attacks on April 25, killing Defence Minister Sadio Camara and forcing Russia’s Africa Corps to withdraw from Kidal. On July 4, the same groups struck army and allied positions across Mali.
Russia’s losses in Mali do not require an unnamed adversary to explain them. The FLA and JNIM have publicly claimed the attacks that forced Russian-backed forces out of Kidal and struck positions across the country again in July. What Moscow has yet to produce is evidence that Kyiv planned or directed those operations.
