Faith Nyasuguta
Ukrainian special forces are reportedly engaged in operations in Sudan to support the country’s army against Russian Wagner mercenaries aligned with the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as revealed in a video released by the Kyiv Post on Monday.
The footage, allegedly sourced from Ukrainian military intelligence, features a captured Russian PMC Wagner soldier confessing to entering Sudan from the Central African Republic with a mission to overthrow the local government.
While the video’s location and content lack independent verification, it emerges after months of speculation about Ukrainian forces operating in Sudan, suggesting a broader campaign by Kyiv to confront Russian interests beyond the Ukraine war’s frontlines.
Previous videos hinted at Ukrainian-style kamikaze drone strikes against RSF forces, potentially conducted by Kyiv’s special forces. Additionally, social media discussions pointed to a fair-skinned sniper in Sudan, believed to be Ukrainian.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in September, discussing common security challenges, particularly activities of illegal armed groups financed by Russia. This meeting indicated a strategic effort by Ukraine to address Russian involvement in conflicts beyond its borders.
The Ukrainian military’s strategy extends to conducting special forces operations inside Russia, aiming for propaganda victories and asserting that no location is safe from its forces. A video released earlier this year depicted special forces commandos conducting a raid inside Russia’s southern Belgorod region, causing local officials to relocate families for safety.
Sudan’s army has been in conflict with the RSF since last spring, with reports indicating support for the rebels from Wagner, reconstituted under closer control from Moscow following the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Another segment of the recent video purportedly shows Ukrainian special forces searching a military vehicle at night, extracting a Wagner card from a deceased soldier. However, the imagery is inconclusive due to darkness and blurriness.
The ongoing developments highlight the complexity of geopolitical dynamics involving Ukraine, Russia, and regional conflicts.
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