
Kremlin says Putin was updated about Ukrainian strikes on air bases in real time
The Kremlin, asked on Tuesday about a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russian air bases on Sunday, said that President Vladimir Putin was kept updated on the attacks in real time, and that an investigation was under way.
Ukraine has said that it used drones to attack the bases, some of which were located thousands of miles from its territory in Siberia, hitting 41 Russian war planes.
Reuters could not verify the number of aircraft struck.
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Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Wagner replaced by Russia's Africa Corp in Mali: Diplomatic sources
The Russian paramilitary group Wagner has left Mali and its units there have been taken over by the Moscow-run Africa Corps, diplomatic and security sources told AFP on Sunday. 'Officially, Wagner is no longer present in Mali. But the Africa Corps is stepping up,' one diplomatic source in the Sahel region said. A Telegram account affiliated with Wagner said: 'Mission accomplished. PMC Wagner is going home.' Mali's ruling junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, broke off ties with former colonial power France and pivoted towards Russia for political and military support. Wagner, Russia's best-known mercenary group, was disbanded and restructured after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023 following a short-lived rebellion against Moscow. Mali has never officially admitted Wagner's presence, insisting it only worked with Russian instructors. France withdrew its 2,400 troops from Mali in 2022 after ties with the junta soured and anti-French sentiment surged among the public. 'The Kremlin remains in control,' the same diplomatic source added. 'Most of the Wagner personnel in Mali, who are originally from Russia, will be reintegrated into Africa Corps and remain in northern regional capitals and Bamako.' The Africa Corps is another paramilitary group with links to the Kremlin and seen as the successor to the Wagner group. Like Wagner, its mercenaries are active supporting several African governments. For over three years, Mali had relied on Wagner in its fight against extremist militants who have killed thousands across the country. 'Wagner yesterday or Africa Corps today, our point of contact remains the same, it is the central power in Russia, that is to say the Kremlin,' a Malian security source said Sunday. The paramilitary group's brutal methods on the ground in Mali have been regularly denounced by human rights groups. A UN report accused Mali's army and foreign fighters of executing at least 500 people during a March 2022 anti-militant sweep in Moura – a claim denied by the junta. Western governments believe the foreign fighters were Wagner mercenaries. Last April, bodies were discovered near a Malian military camp, days after the army and Wagner paramilitaries arrested dozens of civilians, most from the Fulani community. Wagner's withdrawal comes amid what the Malian army calls a 'resurgence' of militant attacks, including two assaults that killed dozens of soldiers and forced troops to abandon a key central base. A European diplomatic source in the Sahel believes Africa Corps will probably do 'much more training of Malian soldiers than Wagner did.' 'Although Wagner claims that its operations and support strengthened the Malian army, Africa Corps will need to continue training and support, especially after the recent wave of attacks against the FAMA (Malian Armed Forces),' said Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies.


Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Wagner replaced by Russia's Africa Corp. in Mali: diplomatic sources
DAKAR: The Russian paramilitary group Wagner has left Mali and its units there have been taken over by the Moscow-run Africa Corps, diplomatic and security sources told AFP on Sunday. 'Officially, Wagner is no longer present in Mali. But the Africa Corps is stepping up,' one diplomatic source in the Sahel region said. A Telegram account affiliated with Wagner said: 'Mission accomplished. PMC Wagner is going home.' Mali's ruling junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, broke off ties with former colonial power France and pivoted toward Russia for political and military support. Wagner, Russia's best-known mercenary group, was disbanded and restructured after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023 following a short-lived rebellion against Moscow. Mali has never officially admitted Wagner's presence, insisting it only worked with Russian instructors. Wagner yesterday or Africa Corps today, our point of contact remains the same, it is the central power in Russia, that is to say the Kremlin Malian security source France withdrew its 2,400 troops from Mali in 2022 after ties with the junta soured and anti-French sentiment surged among the public. 'The Kremlin remains in control,' the same diplomatic source added. 'Most of the Wagner personnel in Mali, who are originally from Russia, will be reintegrated into Africa Corps and remain in northern regional capitals and Bamako.' The Africa Corps is another paramilitary group with links to the Kremlin and seen as the successor to the Wagner group. Like Wagner, its mercenaries are active supporting several African governments. For over three years, Mali had relied on Wagner in its fight against jihadists who have killed thousands across the country. 'Wagner yesterday or Africa Corps today, our point of contact remains the same, it is the central power in Russia, that is to say the Kremlin,' a Malian security source said Sunday. The paramilitary group's brutal methods on the ground in Mali have been regularly denounced by human rights groups. A UN report accused Mali's army and foreign fighters of executing at least 500 people during a March 2022 anti-jihadist sweep in Moura — a claim denied by the junta. Western governments believe the foreign fighters were Wagner mercenaries. Last April, bodies were discovered near a Malian military camp, days after the army and Wagner paramilitaries arrested dozens of civilians, most from the Fulani community. Wagner's withdrawal comes amid what the Malian army calls a 'resurgence''of jihadist attacks, including two assaults that killed dozens of soldiers and forced troops to abandon a key central base. A European diplomatic source in the Sahel believes Africa Corps will probably do 'much more training of Malian soldiers than Wagner did.' 'Although Wagner claims that its operations and support strengthened the Malian army, Africa Corps will need to continue training and support, especially after the recent wave of attacks against the FAMA (Malian Armed Forces),' said Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Slovakia will block EU sanctions on Russia if they harm national interests: PM Fico
Slovakia will block any European Union sanctions against Russia that damage its national interests, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday after parliament approved a resolution calling on the government not to back any new measures. Fico said that Slovakia wanted to stay constructive within the bloc, but he called the resolution a political tool with a strong message. 'If there is a sanction that would harm us, I will never vote for it,' Fico told a news conference shown on his party's YouTube page. Slovakia, a NATO and European Union member, has diverged from Western allies in its position on Ukraine under Fico and his leftist-nationalist government coalition, and stopped official state military aid to Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion. Fico has also been an opponent of sanctioning Russia for its war against Ukraine, saying trade measures damage Slovakia and the EU more than Moscow. The new resolution, approved in a thinly attended parliamentary session, committed government members not to vote for new sanctions and trade limitations towards Russia. It had not been immediately clear to what extent the resolution was constitutionally binding. Fico said he could not support any measure stopping the import of Russian fuel for Slovakia's nuclear power plants. 'I am interested in being a constructive player in the European Union, but not at the expense of Slovakia.' Slovakia has not blocked any previous EU sanctions, including a 17th package targeting Moscow's shadow fleet, adopted in May. Attempts to hit Russia's gas and nuclear sectors have consistently hit obstacles, with opposition from Slovakia and other countries, like Hungary, that still rely on Russian energy supplies.