Bellingcat confirms Shahed-136 drones used in combat in Mali

Bellingcat has geolocated footage showing Shahed-136 type kamikaze drones in operation in Mali.

Defence Blog and France 24 previously published reports that these drones were being deployed on the battlefield in northern Mali. However, Bellingcat and Jeune Afrique subsequently verified two recent strikes using geolocation, satellite imagery, and expert analysis, providing some of the clearest open-source evidence to date documenting their deployment.

The two strikes took place in the villages of Inafarak on July 12 and Talahandak on July 17. While the available evidence does not allow the exact variant to be identified, experts told Bellingcat it is quite likely the drones were manufactured in Russia, given the deployment of the Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps group and the broader pattern of Russian military support to Mali.

Leo Jarry, a drone expert with Tungsten Strategies, told Bellingcat: "If the drones are Russian manufactured, they represent a visible demonstration of Russian support for Mali."

Reports that Russian drones had been used in Mali first emerged in May, when Defence Blog published photographs of drone wreckage from strikes near the town of Savare.

Earlier this month, France 24 also identified debris from several Russian drone systems in Mali, pointing to an expanding Russian drone presence in the country. Until now, however, there has been no verified footage showing Shahed-136 type drones in flight and hitting targets.

Mali has been mired in conflict since a rebellion erupted in the country's north in 2012. In recent years, Russian forces—first through the Wagner Group and now through its successor, Africa Corps—have supported the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) in operations against Tuareg rebel groups and jihadist organisations.

Inafarak – July 12, 2026

On July 12, footage showing the aftermath of a drone strike in the village of Inafarak was published on X.

#حدودالجزائر ، مسيرة مالية ، انطلقت من قاعدة غاوا "ضربت موقعا للتجار "ب" ( انفارغ ) الأضرار مادية"تنبيه "منطقة الضربة تبعد عن حدود الجزائر، 20 km "pic.twitter.com/wpxWY7Qvz5 — محمدن أيب أيب (@EypeMohamedn) July 12, 2026

Bellingcat geolocated the footage to the town, which is close to the border with Algeria (21.32330, 0.72980) using satellite imagery. We confirmed the location by comparing a post-strike satellite image captured on July 15 with imagery from 2024. The comparison shows several buildings that were standing in 2024 had been destroyed by July 15, 2026. This damage was consistent with that visible in the geolocated footage. The strike appears to have hit a commercial facility, with a damaged truck and numerous damaged fuel drums visible.

One of the videos shows the remains of an engine which appears consistent with an MD-550, a distinctive four-cylinder two-stroke engine found on the Shahed-136 family of drones. We showed the image of the engine to two weapons researchers—Trevor Ball, an independent weapons expert and former Bellingcat investigator, and Leo Jarry, a drone expert with Tungsten Strategies—who said the engine is consistent with the Shahed-136 family of drones. The component also closely matches reference imagery of MD-5.