VIDEO: Mali Reports Destruction of a Russian Mi-24 Helicopter
Tuareg rebels in Mali have claimed to have shot down a Russian Mi-24 attack helicopter belonging to the so-called African Corps of the Russian Armed Forces.
A video has been posted online that allegedly shows the downed helicopter crashing. According to journalist Mahmut Bozarslan, all crew members were killed.
It was reported earlier that rebels had intensified attacks on positions held by Malian government forces and the Russian African Corps. Following the 2020 military coup, the country’s government significantly strengthened its cooperation with Russia.
Tuaregs from the “Azawad Liberation Front” shoot down a Mi-24P helicopter belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry’s “African Corps” in the Anéfi region of Mali. The crew was killed. pic.twitter.com/XRZ2ggAPub
— Vijesti (@Vijesti11111) July 5, 2026
Source: Al Jazeera.
Units of the so-called African Corps of the Russian Ministry of Defense have left the strategically important city of Kidal in Mali. The withdrawal took place amid an unprecedented attack by Tuareg rebels and Islamists on several regions of the country simultaneously.
Representatives of the Tuareg rebels claim that government forces and their allies left Kidal as previously agreed. At the same time, there is no consensus among Russian Z-channels and military bloggers regarding the reasons for the withdrawal.
Malian soldiers and fighters from the Russian “African Corps” have been accused of killing four civilians in northern Mali. According to local residents and human rights activists, the body of one of the victims was dismembered and arranged in the shape of a swastika.
