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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Ukraine has sent 15 military specialists to Mali, where they are helping local rebels who are fighting against the armed forces of the aggressor country RF. CNN reported this 12 in September.
Ukrainian drone operators are working together with the separatist group "Front for the Liberation of Azawad," which is mainly made up of Tuareg rebels from northern Mali. CNN spoke with two Ukrainians who are not directly involved in front-line fighting but provide support to the rebels, conduct training, and assist during operations.
One of the Ukrainian operators said he coordinates the rebels' drone flights remotely.
"The signal from their drone comes to me over the Internet, and I immediately tell them on the radio what to do and where to fly," he said.
According to the interlocutor, after the rebels return from missions, the Ukrainians go over the details of the operations.
A CNN source in Ukrainian military intelligence stated that the purpose of such overseas assignments is to pressure Russia and undermine the image of Moscow as a reliable ally.
"We are turning our experience in the field of drones into a tool of foreign policy," the source noted.
CNN notes that Ukrainian specialists also worked in other African countries. A few Ukrainian servicemen, according to the channel's source, were in Sudan. Soldiers from Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso had previously come to Mali to train in drone operations.
Ukrainian servicemen were also sent to the Middle East, where they trained local forces to counter Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia uses in its war against Ukraine. In exchange for sharing their experience, Kyiv received security cooperation agreements and promises regarding ammunition.
According to CNN, Ukrainians also helped Tuareg during the capture of the strategic town of Kidal in the north of Mali at the beginning 2026 of the year. Tuareg rebels and fighters linked to "Al-Qaeda" simultaneously attacked Russian troops, forcing them to retreat. The Russian Defense Ministry accused Kyiv of involvement in the attack.
At the same time, Ukraine had previously denied substantial cooperation with the rebels. 2024 in year, a representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, stated that the Tuaregs had obtained "the necessary information" to fight the Russians.
A Ukrainian drone operator explained to CNN that cooperation with the Tuaregs is situational.
"Culture and religion are different, but when you are attacked by the same idiots, ideological differences fall to the background," the source in military intelligence said.
Separately, CNN reports on the presence of Ukrainian military specialists in Libya. According to a source in Ukrainian military intelligence, they have been in the northwest of the country since the end 2025 of the year. One of the marine drone operators said that his unit used a military base in Misrata to attack the Russian "shadow fleet" in exchange for training of local forces.
In the CNN material it is also noted that Ukraine seeks to strengthen its role in Africa. The former head of the GUR, now the head of the President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov 2023 stated in year that Ukraine's goal is to "continue killing Russians anywhere in the world until Ukraine's final victory."
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Україна веде боротьбу з Росією навіть в Африці. CNN розкрила деталі операцій". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Gordon.
