Ukraine Condemns Visit of African Ambassadors to Occupied Crimea
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) strongly condemned the visit of ambassadors from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to Russian-occupied Crimea and called it a “flagrant violation” of international law, Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to an official statement, the ambassadors of Burkina Faso to Russia Aristide Tapsoba, of Mali Seydou Camissoko, and of Niger Issa Abdou Sidikou, traveled to the annexed peninsula between September 18 and 20.
Ukraine’s MFA underlined that their actions directly contravened international law and breached a number of United Nations General Assembly resolutions, in particular Resolution 68/262 on the “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine.”
That resolution, adopted in 2014, reaffirms the non-recognition of any changes in the status of Crimea and Sevastopol.
The ministry also pointed out that the envoys ignored Ukrainian national legislation, which clearly defines the procedure for entering the country’s temporarily occupied territories. “These actions represent a brazen violation not only by the diplomats themselves, but also by the regimes they represent,” the MFA noted.
Officials in Kyiv called the move especially cynical given that Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger publicly claimed to defend their own sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, yet allowed their ambassadors to undermine those same principles in Ukraine’s case.
The ministry further accused Russia of using visiting foreign envoys as “paid extras” in staged propaganda events aimed at creating a false impression of international recognition of its colonial seizures.
“By their actions, these ambassadors effectively joined Russia’s campaign to legitimize colonial occupation, making their position particularly hypocritical,” the statement reads.
The ministry concluded by stressing that Ukraine reserves the right to respond to any violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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