A member of the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner Group has chosen death over capture, attacking Tuareg militants with a stone, a highly disturbing video circulating online shows.
A military convoy carrying contractors of the PMC and Malian soldiers was reportedly ambushed last week in the vicinity of the village of Tinzawaten, close to the country’s border with Algeria. The Tuareg insurgents killed dozens of PMC contractors, taking a handful hostage, unconfirmed media reports and unverified videos circulating online suggest.
One of the fighters, presumed to be a member of the Wagner Group, given his ethnicity and an old-fashioned Soviet-style camouflage choice, made a bold last stand against the militants, a highly disturbing video shows.
The fighter played dead while insurgents were kicking him, before abruptly getting up and charging the militants with a stone. While some of the Tuareg began fleeing the fighter, one of the militants gunned him down at point blank range.
During the ambush, the militants destroyed multiple armored and soft trucks within the convoy, gruesome footage circulating online suggests. At least one military attack helicopter, which tried to provide cover to the ambushed convoy, took ground fire and was forced to make a rough emergency landing.
A prominent Russian military blogger, Nikita Fedyanin, best known under the alias ‘Beliy’ (‘The White’), is believed to be among those killed during the attack. Fedyanin has been editing Telegram channel GREY ZONE, which is believed to be affiliated with the Wagner Group.
The PMC is believed to have been involved in recent clashes between the Malian military and Tuareg insurgents near the border with Algeria, where it has been providing support to government troops.