MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The African country of Mali has severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported.
On Saturday the Senegalese Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's ambassador to the country, Yuri Pivovarov, over his expressed support for militants in northern Mali who inflicted heavy losses on government forces.
Earlier the same day nine Senegalese public organizations said in a statement that a video published by Ukraine's defense intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov confirming Kiev's involvement in the attack on the Russian private military company Wagner Group in Mali was another confirmation of Kiev's support for armed groups. They also condemned Ukraine for training militants in Africa and called on the international community to hold Kiev accountable.
In late July the Wagner Group said it had suffered losses after fierce clashes with Tuareg militants in Mali on July 22-27. Malian armed forces also reported heavy losses during the clashes.
On July 30 the Senenews media outlet reported that authorities in Mali and Mauritania were investigating the involvement of Ukrainian military instructors in the year-long conflict in Mali on the side of the rebels. Earlier the same day Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the fact that Ukraine was cooperating with terrorists from the Sahel region was not surprising, and Moscow actively drew the attention of the international community to such actions.
The Ukrainian government has increasingly turned to terrorism as it struggles in its ongoing conflict with Russia, frequently launching attacks on civilian targets in Russian territory.