Telegram accounts affiliated with the Wagner Group confirmed on July 29 the deaths of some of its soldiers in a battle in Mali, including one of the local commanders.
The acknowledgment follows claims by Tuareg rebels on July 27 that a two-day battle had destroyed an "entire column of the Malian army and Russian mercenaries."
According to the Telegram message, Wagner troops and their Malian army comrades fought off the initial assault by Tuareg rebels, but a sandstorm allowed to the rebels to regroup and lay an ambush, resulting in heavy losses for the coalition of Russian mercenaries and Malian government soldiers.
A source who previously served in Wagner told the BBC's Russian service that as many as 82 Russian mercenaries were killed in the fighting.
Russian Telegram channels also reported on that Nikita Fedyanin, the administrator of the Grey Zone, a major Telegram channel covering Wagner actions in Ukraine and Africa, was among those killed.
The channels, including those linked to the Wagner Group, published photos and videos allegedly showing the bodies of killed mercenaries and destroyed equipment.
An Mi-24 attack helicopter was among the pieces of equipment reportedly destroyed.
If the casualty estimates are true, it would be the biggest loss of Russian mercenaries abroad since the 2018 Battle of Khasham in Syria, excluding fighting in Ukraine. In the battle, Wagner soldiers and other mercenaries supporting Syrian government forces engaged the U.S. military and Syrian rebels and reportedly suffered heavy losses.
Wagner mercenaries fought in Ukraine and launched a brief rebellion against the Kremlin in June 2023, marching on Moscow before abruptly ending their mutiny. After the failed rebellion, some Wagner members signed contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, and others went to fight in Africa.
Nate Ostiller
(Updated: )
