MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. Ukrainian mercenaries and terrorist groups may intensify their activities in Mali, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko told TASS.

"Nothing can be ruled out, as we can clearly see that many Western countries, let alone Ukraine, seek to harm Russia and prevent African nations from becoming sovereign and independent," he said.

The senior diplomat pointed out that African countries "reject the diktat of their former colonial powers and any neocolonial ambitions pursued by the West."