Mali has announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Ukraine, accusing a senior official of having admitted Kyiv’s role in a heavy defeat in July that killed dozens of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group as well as Malian soldiers.

The northern Tuareg rebels say they killed at least 84 mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers over three days of fighting late last month in the north of the West African country, in what appeared to be Wagner’s heaviest defeat since it stepped into the conflict two years ago.

On July 29, Andriy Yusov, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR), told the public broadcaster Suspilne that the Malian rebels had received “all the information they needed, which allowed [them] to carry out their operation against the Russian war criminals”.

Mali said it had learned “with deep shock” of the remarks and that Yusov had “admitted Ukraine’s involvement in a cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups that resulted in the death of members of the Malian Defence and Security Forces”.

It said it would break off relations “with immediate effect”, a statement from government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said.

Mali also cited comments by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Senegal Yurii Pyvovarov, who was summoned by Senegal on Saturday over a video published on Facebook in which Pyvovarov provided “unequivocal and unqualified support for the terrorist attack” in Mali.

Ukraine’s actions violated Malian sovereignty and constituted unacceptable foreign interference and support for international terrorism, according to Maiga.

On Sunday, Mali announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with Ukraine, reacting to comments made by Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency that Malian rebels had received the “necessary” information to conduct the attack.

Yusov did not directly confirm Kyiv’s involvement in the conflict in the comments, published on public broadcaster Suspilne’s website on July 29.

Ukraine on Monday denied any involvement in northern Mali fighting that led to the death of Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters in July, describing Mali’s decision to sever diplomatic ties over the incident as “short-sighted and hasty”.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry on Monday expressed regret over the decision made by Mali’s transitional government, saying that it was done without a thorough study of the incident’s facts and circumstances.

“Ukraine unconditionally adheres to the norms of international law, the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries,” it said in a statement.

Three days of intense fighting erupted near the Algerian border on July 25 at a military camp at Tinzaouatene.

Mali’s army has admitted it suffered a “large number” of deaths during the clashes but has not released figures.

This week, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed his support for Bamako in a telephone call with his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop.

The West African nation’s military seized power in a 2020 coup and has made it a priority to retake the country from separatists and hardline groups linked to al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group.

They have also moved closer to Russia, and Wagner has been operating in Mali since late 2021, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers.

The mercenary group is thought to have an estimated 1,000 fighters in Mali, but has also been accused of helping to carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed civilians.

Malian authorities deny the allegations.