Russia woos Africa with diplomats, religion, scholarships and other soft power
Russia is stepping up efforts to expand its influence across Africa, deploying diplomats, increasing scholarships and growing its religious footprint on the continent.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that around 100 staff members had been reassigned from Europe to African diplomatic missions, as Moscow plans to reopen about a dozen embassies across the continent.
“We have drastically reduced our presence in Europe and the UK,” Lavrov told lawmakers. “And 90% of these redundant employees have been redeployed to African destinations.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hundreds of Russian diplomats have been expelled from Western countries amid accusations of espionage and sabotage. According to Russia’s state-run Tass news agency, at least 574 diplomats were declared persona non grata in the first year of the war alone.
As relations with Europe deteriorate and Russia faces economic strain from the war, Africa has emerged as a key arena for Moscow’s diplomatic outreach. Unlike China or the United States, Russia is not offering large-scale infrastructure investments. Instead, it is relying on lower-cost tools of influence.
The Russian Orthodox Church has expanded its presence to at least 34 African countries in recent years. At the same time, Russia has tripled the number of scholarships available to African students to study in Russian universities.
Bloomberg also reported that the Kremlin has created a new international relations department focused on countries selected by President Vladimir Putin, with a special team dedicated to Africa policy.
The strategy allows Moscow to increase its global footprint while avoiding major financial commitments.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
