Russian mercenaries blew off African prisoners’ legs to practice battlefield medicine, Wagner fighter says
Amnesty International reports that Mali state armed forces and Russia's Wagner Group committed war crimes, including killings and torture, during joint operations between June 2023 and December 2025. At least 34 civilians were killed across seven incidents in the Segou, Mopti, and Timbuktu regions. The victims were mostly pastoralist civilians attacked based on ethnicity. Meanwhile, a former Wagner fighter captured by Ukrainian forces described horrific training abuses in Mali, alleging that mercenaries used live prisoners to practice battlefield medicine, stabbing techniques, and trauma care.
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- ✓ Mali's armed forces and Russia's Wagner Group personnel committed war crimes including killings and torture of civilians during joint operations between June 2023 and December 2025.
- ✓ At least 34 civilians were killed in seven incidents during joint military operations by the army and Russia's Wagner mercenary group between June 2023 and December 2025.
- ✓ The civilian deaths occurred across Mali's Segou, Mopti, and Timbuktu regions along the Mauritanian border.
- ✓ Victims were mostly members of pastoralist communities who were attacked based on their ethnicity and presence in areas where militant groups were active.
What changed
Amnesty International released a report detailing war crimes by Malian and Wagner forces, coinciding with a captured fighter's video interview detailing extreme training abuses.
Live updates
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Wagner Fighters and Mali Forces Accused of War Crimes
Amnesty International reports that Mali state armed forces and Russia's Wagner Group committed war crimes, including killings and torture, during joint operations between June 2023 and December 2025. At least 34 civilians were killed across seven incidents in the Segou, Mopti, and Timbuktu regions. The victims were mostly pastoralist civilians attacked based on ethnicity. Meanwhile, a former Wagner fighter captured by Ukrainian forces described horrific training abuses in Mali, alleging that mercenaries used live prisoners to practice battlefield medicine, stabbing techniques, and trauma care.
Why it matters
The allegations expose deep-seated abuses tied to Russian paramilitary operations in Africa, where the Wagner Group has operated alongside local military forces to combat insurgencies. These findings add to mounting documentation of human rights violations by foreign mercenaries on the continent. The emergence of testimony from a captured fighter provides rare insider accounts of atrocities committed during tactical drills.
What is confirmed
- Mali's armed forces and Russia's Wagner Group personnel committed war crimes including killings and torture of civilians during joint operations between June 2023 and December 2025.
- At least 34 civilians were killed in seven incidents during joint military operations by the army and Russia's Wagner mercenary group between June 2023 and December 2025.
- The civilian deaths occurred across Mali's Segou, Mopti, and Timbuktu regions along the Mauritanian border.
- Victims were mostly members of pastoralist communities who were attacked based on their ethnicity and presence in areas where militant groups were active.
Still unconfirmed
- Russian mercenaries blew off African prisoners' legs to practice battlefield medicine during training sessions in Mali.
- Russian mercenaries used live prisoners to practice stabbing people in the heart and shot captives in the armpit to practice stopping bleeding because they had no training dummies.
What to watch next
- Further international investigations into the alleged war crimes and torture methods described by the captured fighter
- Official responses from the governments of Mali and Russia regarding the Amnesty International report
confidence 95%Sources used for this update (15)
- Euromaidan Press — Russian mercenaries blew off African prisoners’ legs to practice battlefield medicine, Wagner fighter says
- Amnesty International — Mali: Damning evidence of war crimes by state armed forces and Wagner Group personnel – new report
- UNITED24 Media — Russian Mercenaries Used Live Prisoners to Practice Stabbing People in the Heart in Mali
- Arab News — Soldiers, mercenaries killed at least 34 civilians in Mali
- ua.news — A former Wagner fighter described the brutal training of Russian mercenaries in Mali
- Kyiv Post — Mali Army, Russia’s Wagner Committed War Crimes Against Civilians, Amnesty Says
- Modern Ghana — Mali army and Russian fighters accused of killing dozens of civilians
- ua.news — A captured Wagner Group member spoke about the Russians' crimes against civilians in Mali
- georgiatoday.ge — Russian mercenaries blew off African prisoners’ legs for battlefield medicine training, Wagner fighter ....
- www.express.co.uk — Horror as Russian mercenaries 'use Africans as live targets ...
- africanperceptions.org — "We Had No Training Dummies": Former Russian Mercenary's ...
- www.amnesty.org — War crimes by Malian state armed forces and Wagner Group
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