In recent times, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has observed a significant intensification of Russian disinformation against our state in African countries. Russian officials, as well as Russia-affiliated media and bloggers, are injecting into the information space insinuations unsupported by any facts, accusing Ukraine of alleged “dangerous activities,” “undermining the foundations of statehood and sovereignty” of independent African countries, supplying weapons and providing support to illegal armed groups, planning destabilization of countries or entire sub-regions of the African continent, and other such nonsense.
Russian propaganda has in fact deployed its entire arsenal against Ukraine: from unfounded accusations in the media and the dissemination of disinformation through networks of pro-Russian bots on social media, to the circulation of forged documents and other blatant fakes.
We officially refute all of the above-mentioned Russian allegations, which have no basis or evidence whatsoever.
Ukraine seeks to develop relations with the states of Africa on the basis of mutual respect for the sake of prosperity, progress, and the strengthening of sovereignty. Ukraine has proven this approach through concrete actions, nearly doubling its diplomatic presence on the continent, developing cooperation in the fields of agriculture, technology, energy, education, and digitalization, as well as providing significant support within the framework of the humanitarian program “Grain from Ukraine” of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We are developing cooperation with the African Union and supporting African initiatives on the international stage, as well as, more broadly, the increased representation and strengthened role of African states in the UN Security Council and in other international fora. We are grateful to the countries of Africa for supporting efforts to restore a just peace for Ukraine, and in turn we reaffirm our support for peace and stability for our African partners.
It is noteworthy that Russia accuses Ukraine of precisely the actions that Russia itself undertakes. For it is Russia that sends mercenaries and private armies to African states, supporting unconstitutional regimes, plundering natural resources, bringing destabilization and chaos, and committing numerous war crimes.
It is regrettable that Russia seeks to transfer its war and confrontation with Ukraine onto the African continent. We strongly condemn Russia’s attempts to drag African states into political confrontation. Ukraine is committed to developing bilateral relations with African partners without interference from third states. We regard the intensification of Russian disinformation against Ukraine as an attempt by Moscow to obstruct the comprehensive deepening of relations between Ukraine and the states of Africa that has been observed in recent years. We assure the governments of African countries of our sincere intentions to develop mutually beneficial cooperation for the sake of increasing the welfare and self-sufficiency of our states.