According to a video released on Monday, Ukrainian special forces are allegedly present in Sudan to assist the country’s army in their fight against Russian Wagner mercenaries who are allied with the rebel group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Kyiv Post published a brief video allegedly obtained from Ukrainian military intelligence, a department in charge of undercover missions. The footage depicts a Russian captive being questioned alongside two individuals from Africa.
The soldier from Russia claims to belong to “PMC Wagner” and entered Sudan through the Central African Republic, where members of the Russian group are stationed. Their intention is to overthrow the current government with a group of approximately 100 fighters.
The video’s location and content have not been authenticated by a third party.
Despite ongoing speculation, it has recently been revealed that Ukrainian forces are carrying out operations in Sudan as part of a larger effort by Kyiv to target Russian interests beyond the frontlines of the Ukraine conflict.
Earlier videos have been shared, displaying kamikaze drone attacks in the style of Ukraine against RSF forces. This has resulted in reports suggesting that these missions were carried out by specialized forces from Kyiv. Additionally, there have been reports of a fair-skinned sniper operating in Sudan, who is being referred to as Ukrainian on various social media platforms.
In September, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met at Shannon airport in Ireland. During the meeting, the Ukrainian leader stated that they discussed shared security concerns, specifically the actions of unlawful armed groups supported by Russia.
Ukraine has also been pursuing a strategy of conducting special forces operations inside Russia in an attempt to score propaganda victories against its enemy and show that nowhere is necessarily safe from its forces – although they are rarely militarily significant.
In the beginning of the year, a video was released by Ukraine, claiming to show special forces commandos carrying out a raid in the southern Belgorod region of Russia. This resulted in local officials having to move families to ensure their safety.
The Sudanese military has been engaged in conflict with the RSF since the beginning of spring. Multiple sources have stated that the insurgents are receiving assistance from Wagner, which has been reorganized with stricter supervision from Moscow following the passing of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The most recent video also reportedly includes footage of Ukrainian special forces inspecting a military vehicle during nighttime, taking a Wagner card from a soldier who appears to be dead in a seated position. However, the video quality is too low and unclear to be conclusive.
Source: theguardian.com
