Ukraine in Africa

On Military Intelligence Day, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, posted photographs confirming what Kyiv had long denied, that its spies are active far beyond Ukraine's borders. 

The caption read "by any means necessary." 

Russia has run shadow operations abroad for decades, but Ukraine turning that same tactic back on Moscow's own proxies is a front Russia wasn't ready for.

The choice of images stood out. These same photographs surfaced back in 2024, but Ukraine publicly disowned them once diplomatic backlash spread across the Sahel. 

That backlash followed an ambush in Mali, where Tuareg rebels wiped out a Wagner convoy, eliminating 80+ fighters in the group's worst single loss in Africa. 

Sudan tells a parallel story. Ukrainian drones reportedly struck Wagner backed RSF positions multiple times, part of a deployment of around 100 special forces troops sent into Khartoum. 

As the brutal war drags on, Sudan's own leadership had quietly sought Ukraine's help, while the RSF's rival found backing in Moscow.