Russia in Africa: What does the Kremlin hope to achieve?

Key Points:

• Russia has intensified its diplomatic and economic engagement with Africa following its invasion of Ukraine, focusing on a few key countries, notably Egypt and Algeria, with a Russia-Africa summit scheduled in Moscow in October 2025.
• Egypt is Russia's most significant African partner, with bilateral trade doubling since 2021 to $10.5 billion, driven mainly by Russian grain exports and a major Russian-financed nuclear power plant project.
• Despite Russia's diplomatic efforts, its overall economic presence in Africa remains limited, accounting for just 3.9% of Russia's foreign trade in 2025, far behind the EU, China, the US, and India, with stronger competition from middle powers like Turkey and the UAE.
• Russia's influence in Africa is more pronounced militarily, with Russian mercenaries, primarily from the Wagner Group and now the Africa Corps, active in several countries, supporting regimes in exchange for access to mineral resources and strategic footholds.
• Russia seeks to leverage Africa's diplomatic weight in international forums like the UN, promoting itself as a partner of the Global South with a narrative contrasting its engagement to colonial exploitation, though perceptions of Russia vary widely across the continent.