MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Ukraine wants to weaken Russia by supporting militants on the African continent, Burkinabe Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela told TASS.

"Ukraine's interference in our states is not directed against us. It is directed against Russia. Kiev's goal is to weaken Russia through Africa. Since Russia is our friend, we cannot allow this game to be played on our territory. If Ukraine has something against Russia, it should express it on its territory. But it should not come to us to attack Russian interests under the pretext of a dispute with Russia," he said.

According to the prime minister, it is a matter of principle for his country. "We do not accept this. That is why Mali filed a complaint with Ukraine at the United Nations," he explained. Kyelem de Tambela pointed out that he did not know whether the UN had responded to the complaint. "Our foreign minister was present at the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in New York. But I cannot confirm whether he received a response," the prime minister pointed out.

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. 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.

Attack in Mali

On July 25-27, armed militants attacked a patrol of Malian government troops in the area of Tinzaouaten. As a result of the fighting, units of the Malian armed forces recognized by the General Staff suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment. Soon, an official spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, Andrey Usov, said that Kiev was complicit in the attack of the armed militants. Mali, and later Niger, severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine over its support for the terrorists.