The New York Times (NYT) restored the chronology of the battle of the PMC “Wagner” with the Tuareg rebels in Mali on July 27, when the Russian mercenaries suffered the biggest defeat in Africa.
For years, Russia promoted the PMC “Wagner” among authoritarian African leaders as an effective military force that could protect the authorities and help their armies win back territory from armed groups. Instead, Moscow has gained access to resource-rich countries, pushed out Western and UN troops, and expanded its influence over West and Central Africa to a level not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union, the NYT notes.
However, the major defeat of the PMC “Wagner” in northern Mali this summer undermined the groupʼs image among the same African leaders. The defeat of the Russian fighters showed that their real capabilities could be overestimated.
The New York Times confirmed the death of at least 46 fighters of the PMC “Wagner” and 24 soldiers of the Mali army — their allies. These are the largest losses for the group in Africa for the entire time of its existence and one of the largest outside of Ukraine.
Among those killed was Nikita Fedyanin with the call sign “White” [Belyi] — one of the most influential propagandists of the PMC “Wagner”, whose death silenced the Gray Zone telegram channel, which was key to promoting the groupʼs ruthless image.
How the fight between the rebels and the “Wagnerians” took place
With the help of satellite images, photos and videos from the battle site published by the rebels, as well as interviews with the participants of the battle and local residents, the publication restored the chronology of the events that preceded the defeat of the Russian column and reconstructed the battle itself. Among the footage examined by the NYT were also videos and photos taken by Fedyanin.
In July, Russian mercenaries went to the rebel-held town of Tinzahuaten on the border with Algeria. In one of the videos shot by Fedyanin, the “Wagner” people demand information from a local resident on the way to the city, threatening to strip her publicly in case of disagreement. Thus, the fighters of the PMC “Wagner” manage to capture several villages.
However, the rebels said it was part of their plan. The Tuaregs monitored the movement of the mercenaries and waited for the right moment to strike.
On July 24 and 25, mercenariesʼ cars were blown up by improvised explosive devices planted on the road. After that, the column of “Wagnerians” left the original route and began to move through more difficult terrain. Near Tinzahuaten, the mercenary advance was slowed by the sand dunes. It was there that the Tuareg set up an ambush.
At first, they attacked the mercenaries from afar, and the Russian fighters suffered the first losses. “Wagnerians” called two helicopters to evacuate the wounded and killed, but one of them was shot down by the rebels.
Then a sandstorm began, thanks to which the Tuareg were able to get closer to the mercenaries. The storm did not allow the Russian fighters to call for reinforcements. The “Wagnerians” were surrounded: on one side they were attacked by Tuaregs, on the other by Islamist militants linked to Al-Qaeda, who occasionally cooperate with Malian rebels against government forces.
Chaos began among the “Wagnerians”: on the footage from the scene, you can see a soldier trying to deal with a malfunctioning weapon, as well as a mortar, armored vehicles and ammunition scattered on the ground.
Malian security sources told the NYT that the PMC “Wagner” had poor coordination with government forces (Maliʼs army) and that the mercenaries underestimated the enemy.
Thus, the attackers forced the mercenaries to retreat south of Tinzahuaten, writes the NYT.
“We trapped them,” a Tuareg commander told the newspaper.
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At the beginning of October, another convoy of the PMC “Wagner”, almost twice as large as the first one, visited one of the sites of the July battle. However, he only took the bodies of the dead Malians and did not go any further.
Malian officers told the NYT that discontent with Russian mercenaries is growing in the countryʼs armed forces. The interlocutors of the publication believe that they need more professional and disciplined partners.
At the same time, it destroyed the legend that was used in the PMC “Wagner” to attract new fighters: they were promised that fighting in Africa is much safer and pays better than in Ukraine. And until July, this was generally true, the publication writes.
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