Former Russian Aerospace Forces pilot Dmitry Serdinov, call sign Stary (lit. “Old Man”), has been confirmed killed during a combat sortie in Africa. His death was reported by the Telegram channels Condottiero and Voevoda Veshchayet (lit. “The Warlord Broadcasts”), both of which are linked to the Russian military. Serdinov was an administrator of the latter.
According to Condottiero, Serdinov was killed in Mali, while Voevoda Veshchayet did not name the country, saying only that it happened “in one of the African republics.” Judging by posts from multiple Russian pro-war Telegram channels, Serdinov was serving with Russia’s Africa Corps.
According to Voevoda Veshchayet, Serdinov was previously a reserve captain in the Russian Aerospace Forces and an attack pilot in the 18th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment. He later joined the Wagner private military company’s aviation detachment. The circumstances of the combat sortie in which he was killed were not specified.
The channel’s name is linked to the call sign of another former Russian military pilot, Senior Lieutenant Alexei Zemtsov. He was previously one of the administrators of the pro-war channel Povernutye na Voyne (roughly meaning “Obsessed With War”) and in 2023 created his own channel — Voevoda Veshchayet. After Zemtsov made a series of posts critical of the military, he was suspended from flying. In July 2026, he was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of extortion and making death threats.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s Africa Corps replaced Wagner in Mali and is fighting alongside the army of the country’s military junta against Islamist groups and Tuareg separatists. In recent months, Russian units have taken part in fighting in northern and northeastern Mali and have used aircraft including Su-24 jets and Mi-24 helicopters. Russia has also continued sending military equipment to the region. In July, Human Rights Watch reported that at least eight civilians were killed in one Africa Corps airstrike in central Mali.
