Ouagadougou: Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Vasily Nebenzia, denounced Ukraine's involvement in terrorist activities on the African continent, including the delivery of drones and the direct training of terrorists by Ukrainian military instructors, during a meeting of the UN Security Council held on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.

According to Burkina Information Agency, Russian diplomat Vasily Nebenzia accused the Kyiv regime of carrying out terrorist activities in Africa, citing drone deliveries, the training of fighters by Ukrainian instructors, and the flow of Western weapons to armed groups in several regions of the world. He emphasized that Ukraine's involvement in terrorist activities in Africa should be given special attention, considering the security situation in several African countries.

Vassili Nebenzia also stated that Western weapons delivered to Ukraine had been found in the hands of armed groups, not only in Africa, but also in Latin America and the Middle East. He added that US watchdogs were questioning the use of military aid given to Kyiv under the Joe Biden administration.

Beyond the activities attributed to Kyiv, Vassili Nebenzia also questioned the role of Western countries, which, according to him, would use Ukraine to defend their interests on the African continent, particularly in the Sahel region. The diplomat asserted that Ukrainian support for terrorist groups served broader geopolitical objectives. He indicated that Moscow thus considered Ukrainian involvement in Africa inseparable from the policies pursued by Kyiv's Western allies.

These accusations echo several statements made recently by senior Russian officials. Anatoly Bashkin, director of the Africa department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, notably stated on July 20 that Ukrainian specialists were involved in planning operations carried out by terrorist groups in Africa. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, along with other Moscow officials, also claimed that Ukrainian fighters and instructors were present in several countries on the African continent.

Mali is among the countries most directly affected by these statements. According to an article published by the Russian media outlet Gazeta on August 5, 2026, a pilot from the African Corps of the Russian forces claimed that Ukrainian FPV drone operators were participating in the fighting alongside terrorists in the country. The military official stated that this presence had been established through radio intercepts and testimonies from captured terrorists. This evidence would bolster accusations made by Moscow regarding Kyiv's activities in the Sahel region.

For Russian authorities, all this information demonstrates Ukraine's growing involvement with terrorists in Africa. It also raises the question of controlling Western weapons supplied to Kyiv and their movement to other conflict zones.