MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Kiev is not above working with radicals to harm Russia's African allies, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated at a briefing.

"We once again draw attention to the two-faced policy of the West. In words, as you can see, they are concerned and worried, they are calling for joint efforts to combat the terrorist threat, particularly in Africa. But in reality, they avoid condemning Kiev, which is ready to collude with radical groups in order to harm African countries friendly to Russia," the diplomat said.

In this context, she recalled that on July 25-27, militants attacked Malian army units in the Tinzaouaten region in the country’s northwest, making them suffer great losses. Spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate Andrey Yusov said soon thereafter that Kiev was involved in the attack carried out by terrorist groups.

Zakharova called that situation another confirmation of Kiev’s terrorist nature. "According to the latest reports, Malian legal bodies have launched an investigation into the nature of cooperation between the Kiev authorities and terrorist organizations operating on the territory of the Sahara-Sahel Region," she informed.

On August 20, the authorities of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemning Ukraine's open support for international terrorism, particularly in the Sahel region. Mali and later Niger announced severing diplomatic relations with Ukraine due to its support for terrorists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the UN General Assembly that Ukraine’s cooperation with terrorist organizations in Mali and other countries has been proven.