Ofoq News reveals the scale of operations for the first time.. What you may not know about Ukraine’s fight against Russia in the deserts of Africa

- Conditions are very harsh; Temperatures regularly rise above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (about 43 degrees Celsius) during the day, then drop sharply during the night. Water is scarce, while dust and sand penetrate everywhere.

However, they work at least above ground. This elite group of Ukrainian drone operators has spent years pursuing Russian forces from fortified trenches inside Ukraine, and they continue to do the same mission, but this time in the desert of northern Mali.

About 15 Ukrainian specialists have been deployed to the junta-ruled country in Africa's Sahel region, to assist local rebel forces fighting Russian forces; This is a step that falls within Kyiv's efforts to weaken its enemy wherever he is. Kiev has also expanded its movements to other conflict arenas, drawing on its extensive, hard-earned experience in drone warfare to build new anti-Russian partnerships.

By speaking with Ukrainian soldiers and officers who participated in operations in Mali and Libya, the Ofoq News network reveals for the first time the scale of these operations extending to other continents. A Ukrainian defense intelligence source familiar with these operations told the network that a number of Ukrainian specialists are also in Sudan, and that forces from Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso had previously traveled to Mali to receive training in operating drones by Ukrainian soldiers there.

When Iran began launching attacks on US allies in the Middle East earlier this year, Ukraine sent teams of military experts to at least five countries in the region. These experts spent several weeks training local forces on how to shoot down Iranian-made Shahed drones, which Russia has been using to terrorize Ukraine for years.

In this context, a Ukrainian soldier who was deployed in the United Arab Emirates told the Ufaq News network that they were working in joint teams with local forces, as the vehicles of these forces were driving alongside them and accurately simulating their every movement. In exchange for sharing its expertise, Kiev received a range of security cooperation agreements and promises to supply it with ammunition.

In the Sahel - a vast semi-arid region located south of the Sahara - the situation is more complex. Russia seeks to consolidate its position as an influential power in Africa, especially in the Sahel region, which is rich in minerals and prone to coups. It has tried to fill the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of French and other Western forces in recent years, by supporting governments in exchange for money and lucrative mining rights.

Initially, the Kremlin outsourced these tasks to the Wagner Group, a private military company owned by warlord and businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, but after Prigozhin was killed in a coup attempt in 2023, Moscow integrated the remaining Wagner forces into its regular army and formed the African Legion, which deploys to support Moscow's local allies. 'Serious adaptation' The Ukrainian group in Mali is merging with a separatist group calling itself the Front for the Liberation of Azawad, made up mostly of Tuareg rebels from the north. Two Ukrainians deployed there told Ofoq News that they are not directly involved in the fighting on the front lines, but are providing the rebels with support, training and operational assistance.

One of the Ukrainian drone operators currently in Mali told the Ufaq News network: “I coordinate their operations remotely, as I receive the signal from their drone over the Internet, so I immediately direct them - via radio - on what to do and the flight path.” He added: “They set out on their missions and then return to me, and we review together all the details of their movements.

As for me, I don't go to the front lines myself; It was a direct order from my leaders.” Russia has previously accused Ukraine of participating in mass killings targeting civilians in Mali, an accusation denied by Kiev.

Separately, Human Rights Watch issued two reports over the summer accusing Russian forces in Mali of killing civilians. It also issued another report stating that “all parties” directly involved in the conflict had launched unlawful attacks on civilians during the escalation of violence in April. That report did not mention Ukraine. Asked about the allegations last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that the Africa Corps operates “within a purely legal framework” and “in response to official requests from the legitimate governments of African countries.”

A Ukrainian defense intelligence source told Ufaq News that the aim of the deployments abroad is to put pressure on Russia and undermine the idea that Moscow can be considered a reliable ally. He added: “We are turning our expertise in the field of drones into a foreign policy tool.”

But he pointed out that the mission also benefits the Ukrainians; It gives them the opportunity to test their equipment and skills in a completely different environment, and shows their partners that their methods work everywhere. He said: “Dust and heat cause equipment to fail more quickly; filtration and cooling systems, and the protection of electronics and batteries...

“Everything works differently and requires serious adaptation,” he said, adding that the nature of fighting a war itself is radically different. He pointed out that differences in discipline and training methods require adaptation on both sides, adding: “We teach them tactics, and they teach us how to survive and fight.”

Russia is also taking advantage of its operations in Africa to expand and develop its military technology. Just this week, Rosoboronexport, the government agency responsible for arms exports, displayed new missiles and drones during the El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt, with the company's president telling the official Russian news agency TASS that these weapons have proven their efficiency in combat operations in Africa and the Middle East.