A Group Of Russian Special Forces Soldiers Has Been Eliminated In Mali
- 10.09.2026, 10:44
Jihadists seized weapons belonging to Russian mercenaries.
The “African Corps,” controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defense, has suffered casualties in Mali. On September 7, videos showing at least four killed Russian mercenaries appeared on local jihadist websites. Judging by the weapons seized, they may have been fighters from one of the Russian Armed Forces’ special units. These are by no means the first casualties among the fighters of the Russian group that replaced the Wagner private military company. “Vot Tak” reports on what is known about the Russian mercenaries killed in Mali.
What is known about the Russians killed
On Monday, September 7, African monitoring projects, citing sources from the “Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin” group (an al-Qaeda affiliate in the African Sahel), reported the deaths of Russian mercenaries in the Mopti region of Mali. According to the published information, a joint patrol consisting of members of the “African Corps” and a local Malian self-defense organization was ambushed near the town of Sofara.
Photos and then videos of the dead soon appeared. They clearly show the bodies of fair-skinned men with gunshot wounds. In one of the videos, a jihadist commenting off-camera says that these are Wagner Group members [the Wagner Group officially ceased operations in Mali in the summer of 2025, and was replaced by the “African Corps,” which is controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defense].
On the evening of September 8, jihadist websites posted photos of the victims’ weapons and personal belongings. Clearly visible in the photos are helmets bearing patches with inscriptions in Russian reading “They recruited us based on our physical fitness, but they treat us like we’re smart” and “My family said: ‘Take care of yourself,’” as well as a chevron featuring a guardian angel and the words “I’m always by your side!”
The patrol was traveling in pickup trucks and on motorcycles. The Russian mercenaries were riding in the lead. The jihadists claimed to have captured two vehicles and 14 motorcycles (at least 12 are visible in the video), as well as weapons and ammunition.
In particular, the Islamic militants displayed three upgraded Russian AK-15 assault rifles, model year 2023. Such weapons are typically used by fighters in the Russian Armed Forces’ special operations units.
The footage shows at least four bodies of those killed—presumably Russians. All have gunshot wounds to the head. It is possible that they were finished off. However, according to representatives of “Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin,” they killed a total of five Russian mercenaries, and eight Africans accompanying them were also reportedly killed in the ambush.
Footage released by the jihadists shows that at least one of the killed mercenaries was wearing the uniform and gear typical of fighters from the “African Corps” in Mali.
Mercenary sources remain silent on the casualties
As of the publication of this article, most sources covering Russian mercenaries in Africa had not commented on the deaths of their fighters.
On September 8, an account on the social network X linked to the former private military company “Wagner”—Wagner Truth 1W9—indirectly confirmed the Russian casualties:
“Some people think that working in Africa is a great way to relax, sit around doing nothing, eat exotic fruits, and lounge under palm trees. No, even here there is a war going on and people are dying. They use explosives, drones, shoot down helicopters, set armored vehicles on fire, fire mortars, and carry out well-planned ambushes.”
On September 7, the day the Russian-Malian patrol was destroyed, the Telegram channel “African Corps | Mission Abroad” reported that in the Sofara area, military personnel had spotted a group of militants attempting to steal livestock.
According to the channel’s author, when the military attempted to pursue them, the militants used attack drones, but were subsequently eliminated. Not a word was mentioned in this post or on other “African Corps” channels about the ambush in which Russians were killed in the same area.