Mali defense minister killed; Russia's Africa Corps withdraws from rebel-held town

"Mali's defense minister, Sadio Camara, who had close ties to Russia, was killed in an

insurgent attack on his home near the capital, Bamako, a government spokesperson said April 26, as Russian forces withdrew from a northern town after clashes with rebels.
Camara was killed April 25 when assailants targeted his residence, the spokesperson said on state television the following day. According to Reuters, an affiliate of al Qaeda in West Africa claimed responsibility for the attack.
Camara had connections to Russia and the Wagner Group, the private military company whose Africa operations were later absorbed into the Africa Corps under Russia's defense ministry. The Africa Corps has played a central role in supporting Mali's ruling junta." KI

Militants from Russia's African Corps committing atrocities in Mali

"Militants from Russia's African Corps are committing numerous killings, rapes and other crimes in the African country of Mali. These fighters, subordinated to Russia's Defense Ministry, have replaced the Wagner Private Military Company, once a powerful Russian paramilitary formation used in covert overseas operations.
According to the refugees, the African Corps uses the same tactics as Wagner. Two refugees

showed video footage of villages burned by "white men". Two others said they had found the bodies of their relatives with their livers and kidneys missing, something that had previously been reported in connection with Wagner's activities.
"It's a scorched-earth policy. The soldiers speak to no one. Anyone they see, they shoot. No questions, no warning. People don't even know why they are being killed," said a Malian village chief who fled.
AP noted that the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have turned from Western allies to Russia for help in fighting militants linked to al-Qaeda or Islamic State.
When the African Corps replaced Wagner six months ago, civilians hoped the brutality would decrease. The United Nations says they have suffered abuses by all sides in the conflict. But refugees have spoken about a new reign of terror by the African Corps.
AP gained access to the Mauritanian border, where thousands of Malians have fled in recent months due to intensified fighting. The agency spoke to 34 refugees who described indiscriminate killings, abductions and sexual violence. Most of them spoke on condition of anonymity.
"They are the same men, paid by the government, and continue the massacres. There is no difference between Wagner and Africa Corps," the village elder said.
The Malian authorities have never publicly acknowledged the presence of Wagner  But in recent weeks, Russian state media have released reports from Mali praising the African Corps for protecting the country from "terrorists", and Russia's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the unit operates "at the request of the Malian authorities", providing ground escorts, conducting search-and-rescue operations and other tasks, AP says." Pravda

Russia’s Wagner mercenaries leaving Mali, Africa Corps to remain

"Russia’s Wagner mercenary group says it will withdraw from Mali after more than three and a half years on the ground.
The paramilitary force announced the move on Friday, claiming it had successfully completed its mission against armed groups in the West African nation.
But Wagner’s withdrawal from Mali does not mean the country will be without Russian fighters. Russian mercenaries will remain under the banner of the Africa Corps, a separate Kremlin-backed paramilitary group created after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against the Russian military in June 2023." AlJazeera

Mali cuts diplomatic ties with Ukraine over Wagner attack controversy

"Mali has announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Ukraine, accusing a senior official of having admitted Kyiv’s role in a heavy defeat in July that killed dozens of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group as well as Malian soldiers." AJ

What Is Ukrainian Intelligence Doing in Africa?

"The defeat in Mali is the worst the Wagner Group has suffered—outside of its operations in the war against Ukraine—since February 2018. At that time, U.S. Army helicopters

destroyed a similar convoy near the Syrian town of Kasham. The coalition of Tuareg rebels operates in northern Mali under the name "Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad." In recent years, Wagner Group's Russian private army mercenaries have fought on the side of the Malian government. Among those killed in the attack was Nikita Fedyanin, the author of the Telegram channel "Gray Zone" with over half a million subscribers. Fedyanin reported on the Wagner Group. Since February 20, there have been several posts on that channel about the offensive in northeastern Mali. Fedyanin allegedly handed over photos to the channel showing that Tuaregs were trained by members of the Ukrainian military intelligence service (HUR). Ukrainian military intelligence service was involved in the attack on Wagner mercenaries in Mali. Ukraine and its allies are doing everything they can to undermine Russia. To fight against the Tuareg rebel coalition, the Malian junta under Colonel Assimi Goita decided to hire the Russian "Wagner Group."
Ukrainian units were engaged in Sudan during the fall: they disrupted the logistics of the rebels, mined roads to Khartoum, and conducted night drone attacks. "Our goal was never to track individual Wagner mercenaries." . "If Ukrainian forces' involvement in Mali is confirmed, it means that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not limited to Ukrainian territory but extends to other places, especially Africa," said Nina Wilén." FW

Wagner fighter makes last stand against the Tuareg

"A member of the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner Group has chosen death over capture, attacking Tuareg militants with a stone, a highly disturbing video circulating online shows.

A military convoy carrying contractors of the PMC and Malian soldiers was reportedly ambushed last week in the vicinity of the village of Tinzawaten, close to the country’s border with Algeria. The Tuareg insurgents killed dozens of PMC contractors, taking a handful hostage, unconfirmed media reports and unverified videos circulating online suggest.
One of the fighters, presumed to be a member of the Wagner Group, given his ethnicity and an old-fashioned Soviet-style camouflage choice, made a bold last stand against the militants, a highly disturbing video shows.
The fighter played dead while insurgents were kicking him, before abruptly getting up and charging the militants with a stone. While some of the Tuareg began fleeing the fighter, one of them militants gunned him down at point blank range." RT

Mali rebels offer to hand over captured Wagnerites to Ukraine

"The Tuareg rebels (CSP-PSD) in the north of the African country of Mali, who defeated a large group of Wagnerites and captured a significant number of militants, offered to hand them over to the Ukrainian side. Earlier today it became known that rebels of an association of armed groups in the north of Mali, inhabited mainly by Tuareg, announced the killing of dozens of soldiers of the Malian Armed Forces and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner PMC in a clash near the border with Algeria." Ukrin

A statue of deceased Wagner co-founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was unveiled at his gravesite

"A statue of deceased Wagner co-founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was unveiled at his gravesite on what would have been his birthday. Supporters paid respects to the Russian mercenary chief who died in a plane crash last year, not long after trying to topple the military’s leadership." AlJazeera

Ukrainian special forces capture Russian mercenaries in Sudan as part of global mission

"We are on the side of righteousness. We are not just defending Ukraine, but also the

legitimate government of Sudan," said Ukrainian military, Ihor Czeczerynda. He was commenting on the Kyiv Post's publication that included a video of the mercenary interrogation, believed to be conducted by the special unit of Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR). One captive, seen in the video, speaks in Russian. He reveals his affiliation to the so-called Wagner Group. He further alleges that the mercenaries' mission was to overthrow the Sudanese authorities, with numbers reaching up to a hundred.
The video also shows two men, probably local recruits, blindfolded and kneeling. One of them mentioned their pay scale was a thousand dollars." MS

U.S. suspected in drone attack on Russian plane in Libya, possible ties to Wagner Group

"Satellite images have confirmed the destruction of a Russian Il-76 transport plane stationed at the Al-Jufra base in Libya. This vast aircraft succumbed to an attack likely initiated by American forces using drones or missiles, with the intention of eliminating members of the Wagner Group. The Pentagon currently refrains from commenting on these reports." MS

Russia deploys former Wagner Group fighters to Skadovsk, Ukraine's south

"Former Wagner Group fighters have set up a military camp near the Russian-occupied port

city of Skadovsk in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine's south. UK Defense Intelligence believes that the Russian Federation has been trying to increase its control over the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) following an attempted mutiny by the PMC and the death of its leadership. The UK Ministry of Defense said major elements of the Wagner PMC have likely been assimilated into the Russian National Guard's (Rosgvardiya) command structure and resumed active recruitment as of the end of October 2023." FT

Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary group, may provide an air defense system to Hezbollah

"The Wall Street Journal published an alarming new report highlighting potential Russia-Hezbollah military cooperation. The two sides have already for years been in some degree of coordination in Syria while assisting the Assad government against foreign-backed jihadists.
But now Hezbollah could receive an advanced Russian anti-air system:
The U.S. has intelligence that the Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary group, may provide an air defense system to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials say.
The system in question is the SA-22, which uses antiaircraft missiles and air defense guns, to intercept aircraft." ZH

Pavel Prigozhin Takes the Helm: Accelerated Recruitment in Wagner Group

"Russian mercenary group, Wagner, has been actively recruiting new soldiers in the Russian

cities of Perm and Novosibirsk. Pavel Prigozhin, the son of the late founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is believed to be managing the group. " FW

Back From the Dead? Prigozhin’s Escape Ignites Wildfire of Conspiracy

"Due to his extravagant past, ex-Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin might not have been on that ill-fated plane crash back in August, with many Russians believing he’s made the perfect escape plan. In 2019, Yevgeny Prigozhin was reported dead after a plane crash in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, only for a stunning twist to prevail. Just three days later, Prigozhin shockingly resurfaced, debunking reports of his demise and leaving many puzzled.

Prigozhin’s business jet crashed again back in August, with Kremlin reports suggesting he was killed, but given the Kremlin’s shady past, how can we trust that?....“It’s been announced that a passenger by the name of Yevgeniy Prigozhin was onboard. But it is also known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeniy Prigozhin” a reporter said.
Reports suggest that the crash and subsequent fire may have left Prigozhin’s body too disfigured for conventional identification methods. Some speculate that the crash could be a convenient escape plan for Prigozhin, given his history of using multiple passports and disguises. 

One Russian scientist believed Prigozhin faked his death, “And to disappear forever, having taken one of his many spare passports, a burnt-out airplane is a good way to do it,” he claimed." CSU

Wagner mercenaries demand a second march on Moscow: “March Once More and at Last”

"Prigozhin abruptly called off the “March on Moscow” after only a few hours. On August 23,

2023, he died in a plane crash. However, the circumstances leading to the crash remain unclear. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that no external factors had caused the plane to crash. An autopsy was also supposed to determine whether the passengers were under the influence of drugs, as reported by the German news platform fr.de. This referred to a raid on Prigozhin’s villa where packages of cocaine, among other things, were found. The Telegram channel Gray Zone, which is close to the Wagner Group, writes that the Russian president’s comments “would only make the situation worse.”
Some Wagner supporters are so provoked by this statement that they are calling for a second March on Moscow. “I don’t know myself. March once more and at last,” fr.de quotes an unknown person, referring to the news agency Agentstvo. In another post: “This is utter nonsense. At first, he wasn’t sure if they were on the plane. Now they turned out to be drug addicts.” ZLN

Grenade fragments found in bodies of Prigozhin plane crash victims, Putin claims

"Russian President Vladimir Putin said that hand grenade fragments were found in the

bodies of people who died in the Aug. 23 crash of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane.
Experts investigating the crash found no indication the private jet had suffered an “external impact,” he said. Prigozhin and two of his top lieutenants of the Wagner private military contractor were among the 10 people killed when the jet came down as it flew from Moscow to St. Petersburgh.
While Putin noted the probe was still ongoing and stopped short of saying what caused the crash, his statement appeared to hint the plane was brought down by a grenade explosion." France24

Putin Crowns New Wagner Chief, Tasked With Sending Fighters Back To Ukraine

"The lingering question since then has centered on who will take command of Wagner, and

whether it will remain a private entity, or possibly be broken apart. Those questions appear to have been at least partially answered with Putin's Kremlin meeting with Andrei Troshev, among the most senior ex-commanders of the Wagner mercenary group and former aide to Prigozhin" Zero Hedge

US Intel Official: Media Misleading Americans About Ukraine's Battlefield Success

"In an interview with Seymour Hersh, a US

intelligence official scolded the media for
misleading the American public about Ukraine’s battlefield failures during the Spring counteroffensive. The unnamed official additionally told Hersh he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the assassination of PMC Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to deescalate tensions with NATO. Responding to reports in recent weeks that Ukrainian forces were gaining momentum and recapturing territory, the official remarked, “Where are the reporters getting this stuff?” he asked. “There are stories talking about drunk Russian commanders while the Ukrainians are penetrating the three lines of Russian defense and will be able to work back to Mariupol.....The goal of Russia’s first line of defense was not to stop the Ukrainian offense, but to slow it down so if there was a Ukrainian advance, Russian commanders could bring in reserves to fortify the line.” The official added, “There is no evidence that Ukrainian forces have gotten past the first line. The American press is doing anything but honest reporting on the failure thus far of the offense.” ZeroHedge

Wagner Warlord Prigozhin Cited ‘Rumors About Wiping Me Out’ in Video Before Plane Crash

"In the video, Priogzhin discussed “rumors” he would be eliminated for his role in leading a
mutiny against the Russian military, but assured his fans that “everything is fine.”

Breitbart

Prigozhin plane crash may have been deliberate

"Russian investigators are not ruling out foul play in the plane crash that killed Wagner boss
Evgeny Prigozhin, and will consider every possible scenario. Asked about a Reuters report, which claimed that Moscow had declined an offer of assistance from the Brazilian aviation authority, Peskov said there could be no discussion on any international aspect and indicated that the investigation would be conducted domestically." RT