Written by Anna Caprile and Eric Pichon.
This series of maps illustrates Russia’s expanding diplomatic, economic and military engagement across the African continent. It also provides a visual representation of the deployment of hybrid tools, such as information manipulation campaigns, and the multi‑faceted presence of the paramilitary company Wagner, both of which are integral parts of Russia’s current strategy in Africa.
Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the subsequent open confrontation with the West in all arenas, has put the spotlight on the African continent again as an area of geopolitical rivalry. Russia’s current engagement on the continent seeks to break the diplomatic and economic isolation imposed by the West, to reassert its own relevance on the international stage as the champion of the new ‘polycentric world’, and to advance its geo‑strategic ambitions in mining, energy and military presence in key areas, such as the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
Russia made significant diplomatic efforts to ensure a high turnout at the second Russia‑Africa summit, held in Saint Petersburg in July 2023, which was well attended but by significantly fewer Heads of State than the first summit, in 2019. However, the 2023 summit failed to address several African leaders’ concerns about the impact of the war in Ukraine on their countries’ economies. As evidenced in votes on recent United Nations (UN) resolutions, the African countries’ positions on the war vary greatly. Russia’s expanding influence in Africa also plays out through non‑official channels, such as the use of private military companies (such as the Wagner Group) and information manipulation campaigns.
Russia has concluded military cooperation agreements with 43 African countries, and is a major, though declining, arms supplier to Africa. This cooperation is not linked to democratic pledges, and in multiple African countries hit by coups, Russia has continued or strengthened its military cooperation. Beyond arms, Russia’s trade with Africa is relatively insignificant compared with other trade partners. Russia’s presence is stronger in the African mining and energy markets, notably through mining concessions to Wagner‑associated companies, and it has signed nuclear cooperation agreements with 20 countries, with plans to build nuclear plants in Egypt and Nigeria.
Read the complete briefing on ‘Russia in Africa: An atlas‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
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