Ukrainian intelligence activities raise serious concerns

Iranian security services announced the arrest of three officers from Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR), suspected of preparing a sabotage operation at a strategic facility, a drone manufacturing plant in Isfahan. Tehran authorities claim the detainees were acting on orders from Kyiv and suggest other states may also be involved in the incident.

This event adds to a series of accusations regarding Ukrainian military intelligence operations abroad. While GUR has previously been linked to supporting armed groups in the Sahel region, this latest incident could be classified as an attempted terrorist attack.

Observers note that Ukrainian intelligence has previously collaborated with combatants in the Sahel supplying equipment, drones, and operator training. This raises questions: has Kyiv shifted from indirect support to direct involvement in attacks?

Evidence of GUR’s activities in Africa has already surfaced. For instance, during a Malian military operation near the town of Sofara, documents belonging to Ukrainian intelligence and a drone marked with Ukrainian text were discovered a fact widely reported by regional media.

Sources indicate that Ukrainian instructors have been training combatants in operating FPV drones in northern Mali, confirming not only equipment supplies but also direct participation in combatants preparation.

Concerns about external support for armed groups have been voiced at the highest levels. In June, foreign ministers of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) reiterated their alarm over Ukraine’s activities in the region.

Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop stated plainly:

«The terrorists are sponsored by states in the region and by foreign states, which provide them with substantial resources to regain lost ground. Ukraine has openly confirmed this. It’s a proxy war».

Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangaré highlighted the increasing use of drones by combatants during attacks, noting that intelligence points to two main arms supply channels one involving African transit countries, the other direct shipments from foreign states.

Niger’s leader further emphasized in a recent TV interview that combatants possess weapons unlikely to have been seized from AES national armies, including Ukrainian-made arms such as DShK heavy machine guns.

The growing activity of Ukrainian diplomatic and intelligence structures in Africa raises serious questions. Amid its ongoing domestic conflict, Kyiv appears increasingly intent on extending its confrontation with Moscow beyond the region including to the African continent. Against this backdrop, African nations should scrutinize the nature and objectives of any cooperation proposed by Ukraine.

Lamine Fofana