Ukraine carries out a series of ambitious raids against Russian positions on the Crimean coast

Days before the plane crash that is reported to have killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner boss appears to have made a quick trip to Mali, where his private military company operates in support of government forces against jihadist groups.

The one-day visit appears to have been a further indication that Prigozhin and Wagner were engaged in a sharp pivot away from Ukraine and toward focusing on activities in Africa.

Flight-tracking data shows an Ilyushin-76 aircraft of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry left Moscow late last week and flew via Damascus to Bamako, the capital of Mali, arriving there on Saturday. A day later, the plane flew back to Russia via the same route, arriving at Zhukovsky Airport outside Moscow on Monday.

Soon after the Ilyushin-76 completed its trip, video emerged of Prigozhin speaking in desert surroundings. Analysts with the open source group All Eyes On Wagner have noted that in the background as he speaks, there is a pick-up truck commonly used by the Malian military.

An apparently confident Prigozhin says that "Wagner PMC is conducting RPD (reconnaissance and search operations), making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa -- even freer. Justice and happiness for the African peoples. Let's make it a nightmare for ISIS, al Qaeda and other thugs. We are hiring real bogatyrs (ancient Slavic warriors) and continue to fulfill the tasks that were set before us and that we promised we would handle."

CNN has been unable to confirm whether Prigozhin traveled on the Ilyushin-76 or when the video was shot -- but it appears to be recent.

Wagner has often used Russian air force airlift like the Ilyushin-76 to resupply its mercenary units in Africa, specifically in Libya, Mali, Sudan and the Central African Republic. Russian air force planes have continued to shuttle back and forth to African countries where Wagner has a presence despite the short-lived mutiny led by Prigozhin in Russia at the end of June. 

There is evidence that Wagner operations have continued in both Mali and the Central African Republic since then, even as Wagner fighters relocated to Belarus and were forced to give up their heavy weaponry. 

Jihadi groups in Mali claim to have killed a number of Russians in recent clashes. The al Qaeda-aligned group JNIM claimed late last week that its fighters clashed with Malian soldiers "and militants from the Russian PMC Wagner group between Timbuktu and Ber."

Prigozhin had suggested that Wagner was also ready to intercede in Niger following the coup there last month.