In a startling accusation on Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that Ukraine has opened a “second front” in Africa. This comes in the wake of Mali and Niger severing diplomatic ties with Kyiv.
“Unable to defeat Russia on the battlefield, the criminal regime of Volodymyr Zelensky has opened a second front in Africa,” Zakharova told the RIA Novosti news agency. She further accused Ukraine of “pandering to terrorist groups in countries on the continent friendly to Moscow.”
The geopolitical turmoil intensified following a violent encounter in northern Mali last month. Tuareg-led separatists claimed responsibility for the deaths of 84 fighters from Russia’s Wagner mercenary group and 47 Malian soldiers. The Malian government subsequently accused a senior Ukrainian official of admitting Kyiv’s role in the attack, leading to Mali breaking off diplomatic relations with Ukraine on August 5.
Mali government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga expressed shock over remarks by Andriy Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency. Yusov reportedly admitted Ukraine’s involvement in what Maiga described as a “cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups” that resulted in Malian casualties. Speaking on Ukrainian television, Yusov asserted that global awareness of the rebels’ actions was due to the necessary data provided for their operation against “Russian war criminals.”
Following Mali’s lead, Niger announced on Tuesday that it too was cutting diplomatic ties with Ukraine “with immediate effect.” Government spokesman Amadou Abdramane cited the same attack in Mali and declared that Niger would petition the UN Security Council to address Ukraine’s “aggression.”
Both Niger and Mali are governed by military regimes that came to power through recent coups. These governments have subsequently annulled defense agreements with France and sought military assistance from Russia.
