In a sharp escalation of diplomatic rhetoric during a tour of East Africa, Moscow has leveled serious accusations against Kiev, igniting fresh tensions in the region. During a press conference in Bujumbura on July 10, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged that Ukrainian nationals were collaborating with the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside Congolese government forces and Burundi. The Ukrainian government swiftly dismissed these claims the following day.
Unsubstantiated claims made in Burundi’s capital
Lavrov delivered his remarks during a joint press briefing with his Burundian counterpart, Édouard Bizimana, following a meeting with Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the African Union. He stated that the M23, an armed faction sanctioned by the United Nations, was receiving support from foreign actors, including Ukrainians, though he provided no concrete evidence or further details. The M23, which controls significant portions of North and South Kivu, seized the city of Goma in January 2025. Multiple United Nations expert reports have documented its supply lines, tracing them directly to the Rwandan Defense Forces.
Reacting to the allegations, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi dismissed Lavrov’s statements as baseless disinformation. Tykhyi fired back, accusing Russia of violating international sanctions by arming armed groups and recruiting fighters from African nations to fight in Ukraine. He suggested that Moscow’s strategy was aimed at undermining American mediation efforts in the Great Lakes region.
Past controversies cast doubt on Ukraine’s credibility
Earlier this year, in late July 2024, a convoy of Wagner Group mercenaries and Malian soldiers was ambushed by Tuareg rebels and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) in northern Mali. The attackers claimed to have killed dozens on both sides. On July 29, Andriï Yusov, spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR), asserted in an interview with Suspilne that the assailants had received “all necessary information” from his agency. Kiev later walked back these remarks, failing to ease concerns in Bamako and Niamey. By August 2024, Mali and Niger had severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine, a move soon followed by Burkina Faso. Since then, Bamako has brought the matter to the United Nations Security Council.
Similar patterns emerge in Sudan’s civil war
The ongoing civil conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has also seen recurring claims of foreign involvement. By late 2023, reports surfaced about a specialized unit within Ukraine’s GUR, codenamed “Timur,” though Kiev neither confirmed nor denied its existence. Videos allegedly linked to this unit surfaced in January 2024, showing drone strikes targeting fighters described as Russian mercenaries and their local allies. In October 2025, the Sudanese military announced it had killed foreign fighters, including Colombians and Ukrainians, who were fighting alongside the RSF during clashes in El Fasher.
These recurring episodes have weakened Ukraine’s position, making its denial of involvement in the DRC’s conflict harder to accept. In Mali, an official spokesperson initially took credit for actions before retracting the claim. In Sudan, ambiguity has persisted without resolution. As for the M23, no Ukrainian source—official or unofficial—has yet substantiated any connection. The Congolese case remains undocumented, even as Lavrov continues his diplomatic tour ahead of the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on October 28 and 29.