Ukraine expresses serious concern about the ongoing illegal activities of the Russian Federation aimed at expanding its spheres of influence using the so-called " African Corps" of the Russian Federation and its affiliated Russian terrorist private military companies on the sovereign territory of a number of African States.
Russian mercenaries inflict an irreparable damage to the stability and security of the African countries, fuel internal spats and conflicts, cause an increase in human losses. They are engaged in illegal mining and expropriation of valuable minerals of these countries to finance the aggressive war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
We note that some individuals from Africa and the Middle East, who are sent by Russia by deception or coercion to the war against the people of Ukraine, regularly fall into Ukrainian captivity.
We appeal to these foreign nationals to avoid by all means joining the ranks of the Russian army, and in the case of being sent to the front, at the first opportunity to take advantage of the "I want to live" project, by surrendering their weapons to the Ukrainian Defense Forces in order to save their own lives.
We strongly condemn the Russian Federation's cynical use of African and Arab citizens as mercenaries, who are utilized mercilessly by the Kremlin regime as "cannon fodder" in battles against the Defense Forces of Ukraine on the territory of our state.
We call on the governments of friendly countries in Africa and the Middle East to publicly denounce such actions by Russia and take all possible measures to bring this criminal practice to a halt.
According to the generally recognized norms and principles of international law and the UN Charter, Ukraine is a victim of illegal, unprovoked and unjustified armed aggression, committed by the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is the duty of all states that respect the Principles and the Goals of the UN Charter to help to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Only through unity and strength the world can give a worthy rebuff to the aggressors and invaders, wherever they are.
