The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a rebel coalition formed by Tuareg fighters, claimed to have shot down a Russian helicopter in Mali during clashes near the city of Gao, in the north of the country.
According to the group, the aircraft was a Mi-24P operated by Russia’s African Corps and was hit during an operation involving a military convoy. So far, however, Russian authorities and the Malian government have not confirmed the loss.
The claim was made amid a new series of coordinated attacks carried out between July 4 and 5 in different locations across Mali. The episode comes amid growing instability in the region, where the African Corps, an organization created after the restructuring of the former Wagner Group under the command of Russia’s Ministry of Defense, has acted as the main military support force for the country’s government since the withdrawal of French troops in 2022.
In its statement, the FLA also claimed to have repelled a Russian convoy leaving Gao, saying it had caused significant casualties before the forces withdrew. The group also indicated that it intends to continue pressuring Russian and Malian troops in the Anefis region alongside JNIM. Despite these claims, the situation on the battlefield remains uncertain, and there is no independent confirmation of the scale of the clashes or the alleged losses.
This is the second major joint offensive conducted by the FLA and JNIM in 2026. In April, the groups announced the capture of the strategic city of Kidal and claimed to have shot down another helicopter near Gao, identified by some reports as a Mi-35. In addition, open-source intelligence analyst Paweł Wójcik reported that recent images show Russian equipment abandoned in the desert, indicating that the fighting may have caused considerable losses to Moscow-backed forces.
The Tuaregs from FLA have shot down a Russian helicopters during the battle against the Gao convoy in the past few hours. First confirmed visuals, there will likely be more if Anefis is cleared.
Looks like tonight victory shifts towards the rebel coalition. Huge. #Mali https://t.co/RdTXr3CeSW pic.twitter.com/KORZK2ifLR— Paweł Wójcik 🦋 (@SaladinAlDronni) July 5, 2026
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Source: Defence Blog | Photos: X @SaladinAlDronni | Wikimedia. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
