Middle East and Africa | Ukrainians in Sudan

Evidence mounts that Ukrainian forces are in Sudan

But their presence may not alter the outcome of its civil war

An image of an explosion next to a pick-up truck, in the middle of a road
Photograph: CNN

Three men kneel on the ground, topless and blindfolded. One of them is light-skinned. His interrogator, who is also white, addresses him in Russian. The group are part of “PMC Wagner”, answers the prisoner, adding that about 100 Wagner mercenaries had entered Sudan from the Central African Republic.

On the interrogator’s arm is an owl insignia, the mark of Ukraine’s military intelligence, which is responsible for covert operations. According to the Kyiv Post, which published the video on February 5th, this is evidence that Ukrainian forces are fighting in Sudan’s civil war. If so, it suggests Ukraine is widening the fight against Russia well beyond its own borders. It also highlights how Sudan’s war is sucking in outsiders.

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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline "Foreign fields"

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