The Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization, tried to hide its efforts to acquire military equipment for use in Ukraine, including trying to buy ammunition from Mali, where the group has a strong base, a US official told CNN.

The official, citing U.S. intelligence data declassified last week, said the Biden administration was informed that Wagner was trying to ship campaign equipment from Ukraine through Mali and forged documents for those transactions.

There is no indication yet that Wagner has been able to successfully acquire the equipment, but the group continues to work on procuring mines, drones, radars and anti-battery contact systems in Mali for use in Ukraine, the official said. “We are closely monitoring this,” the official added.

In recent years, Wagner has sought to expand its presence in Africa and has spent more than a year operating alongside the armed forces of Mali, fighting jihadist insurgents. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in September 2021 that Mali’s government had allegedly hired private Russian mercenaries for security assistance.

Mali is not the only country that Wagner has turned to for help in Ukraine, officials say, as the mercenary group faces an acute shortage of weapons and ammunition amid fierce fighting in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

A US intelligence document, contained in a trove of classified information leaked online in recent months and obtained by CNN, alleges that Wagner Group personnel met with “Turkish contacts” in early February with the intention of “purchasing weapons and equipment from Turkey.” which could then be used in Ukraine.

The document also says Wagner may have tried to use weapons purchased in Turkey for use in his operations in Mali.

The leaked documents also say that Mali’s leader, Assimi Goita, “confirmed that Mali can purchase weapons in Turkey on behalf of Wagner,” the media reported.

However, as the Washington Post writes, it is not clear from the leaked documents that the Turkish government could have known about Wagner’s efforts and whether they “proved to be fruitful.”

Earlier, the White House also accused North Korea of ​​supplying the Russian Wagner Group with missiles and ammunition for use in Ukraine.

“Wagner directly supports Russia’s war against Ukraine, and we oppose any efforts by other countries to help Russia through Wagner,” the US official said.

In early January, the US Treasury Department designated Wagner’s group a “significant transnational criminal organization” and imposed sanctions on its worldwide support network.

The United States has imposed sanctions on numerous entities and individuals on many continents that support Wagner’s military operations.

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