Ukraine has urged African nations “not to stay neutral” in the ongoing Western-backed clash with the Russian Federation following “devastating” missile strikes across the country on Monday.
“This morning the Russian Federation started massive missile strikes across Ukraine,” wrote Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who has been on a relationship-building tour of African capitals, in an official Message to African Nations.
“Cruise missiles and ‘kamikaze’ drones launched from Russia and Belarus have targeted residential areas, power stations, railways, trade centers and bridges in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Rivne, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and other cities,” Kuleba reported.
“Russia launched its terror campaign during the morning rush hour when people were coming to work and children were going to school,” he continued, alleging that the rival state’s “aim was to cause the utmost death and destruction among civilians.”
“Under such devastating circumstances, I took the decision to interrupt my Africa tour and return immediately to Ukraine,” he added, calling on “all African nations to stand by international law, territorial integrity and peace” and urging “Africa not to stay neutral” in the face of an attack on “the fundamental principles of humanity”.
“Africa’s support is needed now more than ever,” referencing an upcoming vote in the United Nations on Russia’s recent move to annex Russian-backed separatist republics in the Donbas and two other regions following questionable referendums.
Russian missile attacks have been reported in multiple cities across Ukraine, including in Dnipro (pictured), Lviv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsky and Ternopil pic.twitter.com/9bXCN0XZQ5
— BNO News (@BNONews) October 10, 2022
While most Western states have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia — measures which Russia has responded to in kind to the extent that it can, in particular by choking off gas exports to European countries which had allowed themselves to become reliant on Russian fuel — other governments of the so-called BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) have remained largely neutral.
Middle Eastern countries including Israel, too, have sought to avoid serious entanglement in the sanctions war, along with NATO member Turkey, most of Africa, and a host of other Third World states.
Many of these countries rely on Russia for food or energy — and in some cases informal military support.
"It so happened that the food security of many countries depends on our supplies," said Dmitry Medvedev, a top Russian security official and former Russian president. "It turns out that our food is our quiet weapon. Quiet but ominous." https://t.co/9oziUaME7P
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 3, 2022
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