EventRU milblogger

Russian and Malian forces retake Kidal with Akinci UAVs and small-drone air campaign

Published 15 October 2026

Russian milblogger Rybar reports that Malian armed forces backed by Russia’s African Corps retook the city of Kidal on 7 October 2026 following a coordinated air operation involving Russian Aerospace Forces, Turkish-built Bayraktar Akıncı UAVs, and dozens of smaller drones. Air superiority achieved through sustained drone operations reportedly forced insurgents to abandon the city — one of the most publicly detailed accounts of Russian-aligned drone forces in the Sahel. Drone-supported operations are said to be continuing in the south.

Pictures from the cited posts

map Rybar

Sources — 1 post

Rybar adversary14 Oct 2026 Open the post

Topicsforeign involvement drones

Related findings

US intelligence on Russian radar positions enabled Ukrainian drone refinery campaign · 13 Oct 2026
Taiwan deploys US V-BAT and MQ-9B drones for maritime China surveillance · 16 Oct 2026
Russia begins missile deliveries to Iran; Tehran requests Geran-4 and Geran-5 · 10 Oct 2026
Russian milblog claims US-origin drones and control gear found at Kherson drone positions · 9 Oct 2026

← Latest findings · All findings from October 2026