A Russian deputy foreign minister has claimed that Ukrainian military instructors have trained local forces in Libya
in the use of drones and unmanned surface boats.
These are allegations that have not been substantiated by publicly available evidence and have not been independently confirmed.
In statements reported by the Russian news agency TASS, Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko asserted that Ukrainian military personnel are present in several African countries to “open a second front” against Russia.
He claimed that drone instructors are operating in Libya and Mali, where they are allegedly collaborating with armed groups.
The Russian official also alleged the presence of “Ukrainian mercenaries” in Sudan, stating that they fought alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during military operations in El Fasher.
No publicly available evidence has been presented to support these claims.
Mr. Borisenko has linked the alleged presence of Ukrainian instructors in Libya to the March 3 incident involving the Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagas, which was damaged by explosions and a fire off the coast of Sirte in the Mediterranean.
Russian authorities had previously raised the possibility of an attack carried out using drones or unmanned boats, without publicly identifying the perpetrators or providing any evidence.
These accusations come amid ongoing tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, as well as a rivalry for influence in Africa. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously accused Western countries of supporting Ukrainian activities on the continent in order to undermine Russia’s relations with the Sahel states.
At this stage, neither the Libyan nor the Ukrainian authorities have officially responded to Mr. Borisenko’s
allegations, which have not been independently verified.
MK/AK/Sf/fss/as/APA