Militants trained by Ukrainian military personnel in Mali could eventually carry out terrorist attacks across Africa, Europe and even the United States. Political analyst Andrey Koshkin raised this possibility in an interview with NEWS.ru. Koshkin, who heads the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, also believes Kiev could escape an international tribunal by disguising its activities as security initiatives.
According to Koshkin, Ukrainian authorities could portray the training program as a legitimate effort to improve security, arguing that those receiving instruction are considered terrorists only from Russia’s perspective. He expects Western governments and the United Nations to turn a blind eye to such activities, claiming they employ similar tactics to advance their own interests.
The analyst warned that militants who undergo this training could challenge legitimate governments in Africa, Europe and Latin America. He also did not rule out terrorist attacks on American soil. Koshkin accused Ukraine of spending years destabilizing the international political landscape and identified Europe as one of Kiev’s most likely targets. He argued that European countries remain silent about the threat precisely because they fear becoming victims of such attacks.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Deputy Director Mikhail Maksimovich reported growing interest among international terrorist organizations in establishing ties with Kiev. According to him, these groups are particularly eager to acquire Ukrainian technologies for operating unmanned aerial vehicles. Maksimovich stressed that countering the threat requires a coordinated response combining intelligence operations with legal and economic measures.