Fact Check: When Did Tuareg Rebels Tout the Ukraine Flag?

"Rebels in Mali Display Ukrainian Flag After Wagner Defeat" is the title of an article published by the Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian media outlet, on July 29th—two days after the Malian army (FAMA) and Russian mercenary personnel were decimated in two ambushes laid by Tuareg rebels and Islamic militants near the Algerian border..Upon further investigation however, it appears the image was taken as early as June 10th, and not 'just after [the Tuaregs] dealt a major defeat to the Russian state-funded Wagner mercenaries in Mali' on July 27th, as claimed by the Post..What You Need to Know.The "exclusive photo" obtained by the Ukrainian media outlet, allegedly from the Ukrainian Defense and Security Sector, depicts a group of Tuareg rebels standing with both the Azawad and Ukrainian flags. The image likely was taken sometime before June 10th, as a video posted on X by Akli Sh'kka, a Tuareg journalist, depicts the same fighters, in the same military dress..One difference between the video uploaded by Sh'kka and the image posted by the Kyiv post is two men, dressed in western attire with their firearms pointed downwards, in contrast to the skywards facing firearms of the Tuaregs. It is likely the two men joined the photo after the video was taken, with the photo only released in the aftermath of the devastating attack on the FAMA and Russian mercenaries over the weekend..How the men arrived in Mali, and embedded with the rebels—if they are indeed linked to Ukraine—may be connected to the opening of a Ukrainian embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania, which shares a nearly 1400 mile border with Mali, in late May..So, What Now?.Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), referencing the recent attack, claimed on July 29th that "the rebels received necessary information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.".And while Ukrainian special forces have conducted operations against Wagner (now known as the 'Africa Corps') personnel in African nations such as Sudan as well as Middle Eastern nations such as Syria, the probability that Ukrainian personnel took part in this most recent battle is low..The battle of Tinzaouten illustrated firstly, the deep knowledge of the terrain by both the Tuaregs and the Islamic militants, as well as their ability to predict the routes most likely to be taken by the FAMA reconnaissance convoy on the way to Tinzaouten, as well as the routes most likely to be taken by the support units, as evidenced by the placing of IED's by both the Tuaregs and the Islamists..Furthermore, the 'loss' of Inafarak, seen by many analysts as the 'last Tuareg stronghold' may have been a strategic move by the Tuaregs to draw the convoy closer to Tinzaouten, where at least 900 reserve fighters were stationed, and away from Tessalit, the nearest supply town for the FAMA..Additionally, the distance of Tinzaouten from Kidal city, where the FAMA would be most likely to launch drone strikes from, is nearly 200 miles, which places the commune out of a Bayraktar TB2's range, which FAMA is equipped with..Some Russian analysts have claimed that drone strikes were not conducted due to the FAMA's lack of payloads for the drones, although this claim is disputed by the FAMA's drone strikes conducted on the commune of Tin-Essako on July 19th.