While the sending of French instructors to Ukraine is being studied, the head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov is touring West African countries close to France. Moscow is trying to achieve neutrality from Africa over the war in Ukraine.
Russia has not ruled out hitting French instructors in Ukraine, whose sending is currently under discussion between Paris and kyiv.
French instructors are “legitimate targets” for Moscow, the Russian Foreign Minister threatened during a visit to the Republic of Congo.
Sergei Lavrov is on tour in Guinea-Conakry, Congo-Brazzaville and Chad, three countries close to France.
The head of Russian diplomacy has visited the African continent several times over the past two years.
Russia is seeking support — or at least neutrality — from many of Africa’s 54 countries as part of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.