Kateryna Hirnyk11:50, 26.04.26

Earlier, it was reported about a large-scale attack on the bases of mercenaries of the “African Corps” of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

A Russian helicopter was shot down near the city of Gao in Mali . According to Russian propagandist Ilya Tumanov, who runs the aviation channel Fighterbomber, everyone on board was killed.

“Our helicopter was lost in Africa. The crew and the mobile fire team on board were killed,” he writes.

He does not name the exact reasons for the destruction of the helicopter, but notes that the preliminary cause was “external fire impact,” referring to an anti-aircraft missile system.

As “Military” notes , information about the downing of a Russian helicopter began to arrive on April 25 from representatives of the “Front for the Liberation of Azawad” (FLA). At that time, no confirmation or photos of the wreckage were made public. Later, a video of the alleged crash site of the aircraft with a column of smoke appeared on the Internet.

Today, Russia maintains a presence in Mali with the forces of the “African Corps” of the Russian Ministry of Defense. These units participate in combat operations against Tuareg rebels in the north (Azawad) and Islamists (JNIM) in the central regions. The Russians control key military bases in Sévaré, Gao, and Kidal, and also guard gold mines and other mineral deposits – a payment to the Malian authorities for “security services.”

Russian helicopter was shot down in Africa

Earlier, it was reported about a large-scale attack by jihadists on the bases of the “African Corps” of the Russian Ministry of Defense in Mali.

On April 25, the Al-Qaeda-linked Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimin group, with the assistance of the Tuareg alliance Front for the Liberation of Azawad, attacked a military base in Kata, where the Russian Defense Ministry’s African Corps, which replaced the PMC, is located.

Attacks were carried out in several other regions of the country6 Liberation of Azawad also said an army helicopter was shot down in the northern city of Kidal. 

(c)UNIAN 2026