Ukraine denied media reports that it was involved in supplying unmanned aerial vehicles to rebels in northern Mali, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
"Ukraine resolutely rejects the publications that have recently appeared in foreign publications about the participation of our country in the supply of such equipment to the rebels in Mali," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv.
The French newspaper "Mond" reported that Tuareg fighters in the West African country were using Ukrainian drones with the "discreet but firm" Kiev's support against the Malian army and against the Russian mercenary group "Wagner", which it says is fighting on its side.
Mali, where power is held by the military after two successive coups in 2020 and 2021, has been battling Islamist rebels for years. Within the framework of the conflict, the northern part of the African country, in particular the areas along the border with Algeria, have become an arena of fierce fighting with the rebels, who are representatives of the local Tuareg people.
In August, Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine over comments by Kiev that the rebels had received all the "necessary" information to organize attacks in the north that reportedly killed dozens of Malian soldiers and "Wagnerians".
Russia, which in recent years has increasingly made efforts to expand its influence in Africa, including in Mali, accused Ukraine of opening a "second front" against Moscow by supporting armed fighters in Russia-friendly countries in Africa.
Moscow has been waging a devastating war against Ukraine since February 2022, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people, the vast majority of them Ukrainians.