Russia accused Ukraine of opening a "second front" in Africa by supporting "terrorist groups" - a few days after Russian mercenaries from "Wagner" and the Malian army suffered heavy losses from the rebels in Northern Mali, AFP reported, BTA reported.
"Unable to defeat Russia on the battlefield, the criminal regime of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky has decided to open a "second front" in Africa and supports terrorist groups in Moscow-friendly countries on the continent," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, quoted by RIA Novosti.
The spokeswoman's comments come more than a week after an attack in Mali that rebels say killed dozens of Wagner fighters. and Malian soldiers. Analysts are unanimous that this is the heaviest defeat suffered by the "Wagner" group. in Africa in a separate battle, according to AFP.
Following these unprecedented events, Ukrainian military intelligence official Andriy Yusov hinted that Kiev had provided information to the rebels so they could carry out their attack. These remarks drew the ire of the Malian authorities, who accused Yussov of "acknowledging Ukraine's involvement in a cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack". Bamako accused Kiev of "supporting international terrorism".
Then on Sunday, Mali announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with Ukraine, followed yesterday by Niger, the other country that has moved closer to Russia after military juntas hostile to Western countries came to power.
Kiev expressed regret for the "hasty" decision of Bamako, stating that it "unconditionally adheres to the norms of international law" and "categorically rejects the accusations of the transitional government of Mali". In 2022, Mali's junta broke with its long-standing alliance with France and its European partners, turning to Russia for military and political support, notes AFP.