Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Russia's systemic disinformation campaign against Ukraine in African countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has recently observed a significant intensification of Russian disinformation targeting our state in African countries. Russian officials, as well as media outlets and bloggers affiliated with Russia, have been injecting baseless insinuations into the information space, accusing Ukraine of so-called “dangerous activities,” “undermining the foundations of statehood and sovereignty” of independent African countries, supplying weapons and supporting illegal armed groups, and allegedly planning to destabilize individual countries or entire subregions of the African continent — all of which are complete fabrications.
Russian propaganda has effectively deployed its full arsenal against Ukraine: from unfounded accusations in the media and dissemination of disinformation by networks of pro-Russian bots on social media, to the spread of forged documents and other blatant fakes.
We officially refute all these Russian allegations, which are entirely unfounded and unsupported by any evidence.
Ukraine seeks to develop relations with African states based on mutual respect, prosperity, progress, and strengthening of sovereignty. Ukraine has demonstrated this approach through concrete actions — nearly doubling its diplomatic presence on the continent and advancing cooperation in agriculture, technology, energy, education, digitalization, and providing substantial support through the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We expand cooperation with the African Union and support African initiatives in the international arena, including the overall increase in representation and strengthening the role of African states in the UN Security Council and other international platforms. We are grateful to the countries of Africa for their support of efforts to restore a just peace for Ukraine and, in turn, affirm our commitment to peace and stability for our African partners.
It is telling that Russia accuses Ukraine of the very actions it undertakes itself. It is Russia that sends mercenaries and private military companies to African states, where they support unconstitutional regimes, plunder natural resources, bring destabilization and chaos, and commit numerous war crimes.
It is regrettable that Russia is attempting to export its war and confrontation with Ukraine to the African continent. We strongly condemn Russia’s attempts to involve African states into political confrontation. Ukraine is committed to building bilateral relations with its African partners free from third-party interference. We view Russia’s disinformation campaign intensification against Ukraine as Moscow’s attempt to obstruct the comprehensive development of Ukraine-Africa relations, which has been gaining momentum in recent years. We assure the governments of African countries of our sincere intentions to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in the interest of enhancing the prosperity and self-sufficiency of our nations.
