Kyiv Post has exclusively obtained two videos that appear to show Ukrainian special forces hunting mercenaries of the pro-Kremlin Wagner PMC in Sudan.
According to the source of the Kyiv Post in the security and defense sector of Ukraine, an operation is currently underway in this African country to “clean up the Wagner PMC, their local terrorists and Russian special services.”
Speaking to the Kyiv Post, the source added: “The footage shows the work of, probably, special units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR).” The intelligence official declined to provide details of the operation for security reasons. The source said the videos were filmed “over the past two weeks” in a Sudanese city. Kyiv Post has not independently verified any of the videos.
It seems that the first black-and-white video was shot at night by a drone in the infrared spectrum. A small unit of soldiers surrounds the building, and the targets in it are highlighted in the video. In another series, the attacker uses a hand-held grenade launcher to shoot through a building window.
Then you can see several explosions in the footage taken with a regular camera. They alternate with footage taken with an infrared camera. In the video, explosions brightly illuminate the night streets. Some of the men trapped in the building start shooting back, while others try to escape.
The second video was shot during the day, also from a drone hovering 200-400 meters above the ground. No Ukrainian special forces are visible, but several men who look like targets are running through the streets of a densely populated city or village.
Several explosions are visible (grenade launchers, maybe even medium-caliber howitzer shells). The more powerful explosions cause huge flames to rise in the low-lying residential building.
In other shots, smoke and debris from the explosion rise to the height of the sixth floor. It is not clear where the shots that lead to the explosions come from. Some shots hit the roofs of buildings. No victims were seen.
The Ukrainian government has not officially recognized either the deployment of combat units in Sudan or the operations against Wagner PMC militants in that country. Last month, CNN reported that a series of drone strikes near the Sudanese capital against Wagner-backed rebels were very “typical” of Ukrainian special forces.
The Ukrainian news portal RBC-Ukraine then turned to the representative of the GUR, Andriy Yusov, for clarification on the situation in Sudan. He replied: “We can neither confirm nor deny this.”