Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that the West is waging a "real war" with Russia.
"If we talk about what's going on in Ukraine, it's not a hybrid war, it's a real war that the West has been preparing against Russia for a long time," Lavrov said during a visit to South Africa.
In Pretoria, Lavrov accused the West of "trying to destroy everything Russian, from language to culture," according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
The top diplomat had met with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified his invasion of Ukraine, in part, on baseless claims that Kiev is persecuting ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine.
South Africa, part of the BRICS group of emerging economies along with Russia, China, India and Brazil, has taken a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine.
The country is planning joint military exercises with the Russian and Chinese navies off the port city of Durban in the second half of February. The naval exercises coincide with the one-year anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A Russia-Africa leaders summit is planned for July in St Petersburg.
