PMC Wagner’s losses in Mali: dozens of militants and a well-known propagandist killed

28 July, 2024 Destroyed Chinese MRAP VP11 in Mali. Photo credits: X/amacharoudj A recent battle between the junta's military, backed by the PMC Wagner militants, and the CSP-DPA group in Mali killed dozens of militants and a prominent propagandist.

Telegram channels close to the PMC Wagner, such as Svyatosha Veshchayet and DSHRG Rusich, reported on this. They refer to the battle in In Azzraf near the Algerian city of Tin Zawatin. The Svyatosha Veshchayet| Payments / State Awards for PMC Wagner Telegram channel published information about the death of Anton Elizarov, senior commander of the Wagner Group, known by the call sign "Lotus":

Screenshot from the Svyatosha Veshchayet| Payments / State Awards for PMC Wagner Telegram channel

After that, a number of other Telegram channels, such as BRIEF, published information that, according to updated information, he had survived:

Screenshot from the BRIEF Telegram channel

Also, the Military Observer Telegram channel first reported his death, specifying his participation in the aggression against Ukraine, and later the possibility that he survived:

Screenshot from the Military Observer Telegram channel

More details about him can be found in an investigation by the Molfar OSINT community, which covers his service in the Russian army, a court case on fraud, and much more. The other identified deceased is Nikita Fedyanin, a Russian propagandist and author of the GRAY ZONE Telegram channel. The information about his death was confirmed by another Russian propagandist on his page, and his name and surname were identified by SOTA:

He was identified, in particular, by a photo published on the DSHRG Rusich Telegram channel. A video online shows a body identified as the channel's author, but for ethical reasons, we will not publish screenshots.

Screenshot from the DSHRG Rusich Telegram channel

They also reported on the losses of the Wagner group in Mali, where dozens of militants (at least 80 Russian fighters) were killed in the battle: "At the moment, according to my data, more than 80 people were killed as a result of this operation.

More than 15 people are in captivity.

This is about our Russian comrades, soldiers who represented the interests of Russia," former commander of the 13th Wagner assault squadron, call sign Rusich, was quoted as saying.