“Grey Zone” Wagner Telegram Channel Admin Killed in Mali Ambush

Russian state media and milbloggers have confirmed that Nikita Fedyanin, admin of the prominent Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel "Grey Zone," was killed over the weekend during a Tuareg ambush against a Wagner-Malian (FAMA) military convoy in the deserts of northern Mali near the border with Algeria..What Happened.On Saturday, several Tuareg sources began to report that a joint Wagner-FAMA military convoy was destroyed near Tinzaouatene, which came amid an increase in clashes in the area with separatist forces of the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD)..Footage of the aftermath shows scores of dead Wagner PMCs amidst destroyed armored vehicles. Other photos and videos taken from the scene show a number of prisoners being taken, with it being a mix of both Wagner and FAMA personnel..Exact casualty figures remain unclear. Some Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels have put the number of killed as low as 20, while BBC's Russian service put the figure north of 80..CSP-PSD Statement.In a statement, CSP-PSD reported that during "three days of intense fighting (from July 25 to 27), its forces opposed a battalion of terrorists from the Malian Army accompanied by a large number of mercenaries from the Russian Wagner militia around the town of Tinzawatene (Kidal Region)."."Our forces definitively annihilated these enemy columns this Saturday. A significant amount of rolling stock and weapons were seized or damaged. The few survivors of the FAMA ranks and the Wagner militia were taken prisoner," the statement added..CSP-PSD also reported that seven of its fighters were killed and 12 others were wounded in the clashes..Russian Statements.Reverse Side of the Medal (RSOTM), a Telegram channel with close links to Russian special forces and PMC groups, posted that the operation near Tinzaouatene was led by local FAMA forces and that over 1,000 Tuareg fighters were involved in the attack..RSOTM also claimed that al-Qaeda jihadists were involved in the ambush. While the AQ-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) released a message claiming responsibility for the attack, their involvement has been denied by CSP-PSD, which has historically opposed the group..RSOTM also noted a lack of air support, mentioning that two helicopters were downed in operations in the area and that "There were no [FAMA TB-2] Bayraktars in the air because the Malian Armed Forces do not have ammunition for them.".Additionally, the post said that 20 Wagner PMCs were killed, including Fedyanin, who was "collecting information and was not there as an employee of the company." RSOTM also denied claims that Wagner commander Anton "Lotus" Yelizarov was killed in the attack..Ukraine Statements.In a unique development, Kyiv released a photo showing Tuareg fighters posing with a Ukrainian and Azawad flag, with what appears to be several non-native "advisers.".Speaking on the ambush, Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) representative Andriy Yusov stated that "the rebels received necessary information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals."."We won't discuss the details at the moment, but there will be more to come," he added..This may not come as a complete surprise, however, as over the past year there has been increasing indication of Ukrainian forces operating in Sudan against Wagner Group. Wagner Group has been accused by the West of running weapon supply lines for the anti-government paramilitary forces of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in exchange for gold, a payment method that could further support operations in Ukraine and circumvent western sanctions..Why is Wagner Group in Mali?.In 2021, the Kremlin began to forge a relationship with the Malian military junta, which seized power in 2020 under the command of Colonel Assimi Goita. Later that year, Wagner PMCs began to appear in the country, initially providing security to Malian officials and carrying out training of local security forces..Unlike its operations in CAR and Sudan, where it primarily profited from controlling mining operations, the Wagner Group adopted a different strategy by seeking direct mining concessions from companies. Wagner secured a cash-for-security-services deal with the Malian junta, earning substantial income that US intelligence estimated to be over $200 million for security services, amounting to $10 million per month..With that, Wagner shifted to directly supporting FAMA forces in operations against various militant and rebel groups around the country..Who are the Tuaregs and Why is Wagner Involved?.The Tuareg people are a group of semi-nomadic herders found in northern Mali, the border regions of Niger, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Mauritania, and Libya. They speak a Berber-based language, either Tamashek, Tamajaq, or Tamahaq depending on where they live..During the colonization period, the Tuareg people became fragmented by the borders drawn by the French, which impeded the Tuareg desire for an independent state. As a result, and since independence in 1960, various armed Tuareg groups have fought against the Malian government in order to realize the creation of an independent state..Wagner told the Malian junta, "There is a military solution to the return of Kidal and the north, and we'll help you get there," John Lechner, the author of the forthcoming "Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries in the New Era of Private Warfare," told The Atlantic in May. "They were going to go after both the terrorists and Tuareg separatists. That was their major selling point.".As previously reported by Bianca Bridger, the introduction of Russian paramilitary groups such as Wagner, as well as branches of the 'Africa Corps'—a rebranded semi-official paramilitary structure that some analysts are calling the new Wagner post-Prigozhin—has had a direct impact on the welfare of the country's civilians, with multiple massacres against civilians occurring since the December deployment..According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), violence against civilians in Mali increased by 38 percent in September 2023, with Wagner responsible for 160 incidents of recorded violence, or 29 percent. Furthermore, ACLED claims that in 2023, the mercenary group's engagement in violence more than tripled when compared to 2022 statistics.