Senior Ukrainian official accuses Russia of being behind ongoing coup in Niger

‘It is a standard Russian tactic: to divert attention, seize moment, expand conflict,’ says presidential adviser

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – A Ukrainian presidential adviser on Tuesday accused Russia of being behind the ongoing coup in the West African country of Niger.

“It is now absolutely clear that #Russia is behind the so-called ‘military coup’ in #Niger. It is a standard Russian tactic: to divert attention, seize the moment and expand the conflict,” Mykhailo Podolyak said in a statement posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Podolyak claimed that military juntas in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, where the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group is playing "an active role," contribute to the belief that Russia has “a global scenario for provoking instability to undermine the global security order."

“It's time to draw the right conclusion: only the removal of (President Vladimir) #Putin's clan and sending Russia to the political rebirth can guarantee the inviolability of rules and stability to the world,” Podolyak added.

On July 26, a group of soldiers calling themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country (CNSP) delivered a statement on Nigerien state television shortly after detaining President Mohamed Bazoum, saying they took the step due to the “deteriorating security situation and bad governance.”

Bazoum was elected in 2021 in Niger’s first democratic power transition since it gained independence from French colonial rule in 1960.

Kaynak: