Moscow will host African heads of state on Oct. 28 for the third Russia-Africa summit since 2019, marking a fresh push by Russian President Vladimir Putin to rally developing nations to the Kremlin’s geopolitical vision. Putin aims to position Russia as the defender of the “global majority” against what he describes as the neocolonial practices of Western powers, according to an analysis by The Economist.
The diplomatic campaign has accelerated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a conflict that prompted active military recruitment across the African continent. During the previous summit in 2023, a Russian spokesperson asserted that soldiers from her country were sacrificing their lives on the battlefield to guarantee the freedom of African populations.
Independent African outlets have sharply contested those claims. The Sahel Times published a critical rebuke asking for a single country where the Russian presence has brought security and stability, while cataloging counter-examples involving the Africa Corps, formerly known as the Wagner Group. “It remains for Malians to remember that a palace has never been a country, and that security which does not descend to the village is only the security of those who ordered it,” the publication wrote.
Russia Redeploys Officials to Expand African Influence
Despite local skepticism, the Kremlin views Africa as fertile ground for influence. In February, Sergey Lavrov, then Foreign Minister, indicated that 90% of Russian officials expelled from European nations had been redeployed to the African continent. Moscow has since intensified initiatives spanning cultural diplomacy, higher education, religious networks, media channels, and targeted disinformation operations.
A central pillar of this strategy involves the “Houses of Russia,” official centers ostensibly dedicated to promoting Russian language and culture. Ivan Klyszcz, a researcher at the International Centre for Defence and Security in Estonia, describes these facilities as anchor points for the Kremlin’s influence networks. Their programming frequently features documentaries such as “Battle for Africa,” which praises Russian support for Sahelian regimes opposing French influence, alongside features highlighting Americans who allegedly fled hostility toward Moscow.
In September, a new House of Russia opened in São Tomé and Príncipe inside a former physiotherapy clinic. The space features portraits of writers, athletes, and cosmonauts, anchored by a prominent photograph of Vladimir Putin in a classroom dedicated to Russian language instruction. At the entrance, an artificial intelligence-generated graphic invokes the Soviet-era slogan “friendship of peoples.”
Using Education for Religious Expansion
Higher education functions as another primary conduit for influence. Approximately 37,000 African students are currently enrolled in Russian universities, nearly five times the figure recorded in 2010, driven by an expansion in scholarship programs. This enrollment surpasses Cold War peaks, when Moscow trained future leaders who later assumed presidencies in countries such as Angola, Ghana, and Namibia.
Russian cultural centers actively maintain these alumni networks while hosting outreach events for the Russian Orthodox Church. Backed by the Kremlin, the church frames Russia as a defender of traditional values in opposition to what it characterizes as a decadent West.
Moscow Uses Media Networks to Spread Disinformation
Moscow’s strategy relies heavily on expanding its footprint across African media. The state-backed network RT has established syndication agreements with several local outlets, including the Cameroon-based channel Afrique Media. Meanwhile, African Initiative, a self-described independent agency launched in 2023, maintains ties to former Wagner personnel and Russian intelligence services, according to a French government report.
That organization reportedly participated in spreading false narratives, including accusations that the United States propagated dengue fever in Burkina Faso and claims that France supports jihadist factions in the Sahel. To resonate with local audiences, African Initiative collaborates with regional creators on projects such as the web series “Gandhi Malien,” hosted by a Malian presenter and a Russian journalist. In Burkina Faso, the program “The Russian Hour” is hosted by the Russian-Burkinabé rapper MC Ruskof.
Moscow has also targeted journalistic practices directly. Since July 2025, RT and other state-financed media entities have organized at least 20 training seminars for journalists from 29 African nations, as noted by The Economist. While these sessions offer standard professional advice, they simultaneously promote Kremlin narratives, such as characterizing Ukrainian prisoners of war as neo-Nazis and framing the Bucha massacre as an example of disinformation.
More covert operations have also surfaced. An investigation by the Forbidden Stories collective uncovered a Moscow-backed network dubbed “The Company,” which reportedly pays journalists in the Global South to plant false stories in local outlets. One campaign allegedly sought to discredit the Lobito Corridor, an Angolan infrastructure project financed by the United States and the European Union.
Russian Influence Faces Limited Reach and Risks
The overall impact of Russia’s continental push remains difficult to quantify. Audiences for RT and African Initiative stay modest, and public opinion surveys indicate that Russian influence is generally viewed less favorably than that of the United States, China, or former colonial powers. Moscow’s constrained economic capacity and the deployment of African recruits to fight in Ukraine present ongoing challenges to its public image.
Even so, analysts warn that the strategy carries deliberate destabilization risks. An analyst with the NGO Code for Africa told The Economist that the Kremlin seeks not only to advance its own interests but to intentionally erode social cohesion in target countries, operating on the premise that a weakened state becomes increasingly vulnerable to the ambitions of Moscow.
The third Russia-Africa summit is scheduled to open in Moscow on Oct. 28.
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