African leaders are assembling in Moscow for the summit, driven largely by security ties and political motives rather than commerce. Russia's trade with the continent totaled about $28 billion in 2025, falling drastically behind the European Union and China. To counter Western sanctions, Moscow is actively pursuing mining assets like Guinea's bauxite and Mali's gold refinery through military and state partnerships. Meanwhile, Russia's Africa Corps faces accusations of civilian abuses in the Sahel, alongside rising casualties among Africans deployed to Ukraine.
Key points
African nations engage with Moscow mainly to secure political support and regime security…: African nations engage with Moscow mainly to secure political support and regime security rather than major financial commitments.
The Russian Ministry of Defence's Africa Corps replaced the Wagner Group but faces severe…: The Russian Ministry of Defence's Africa Corps replaced the Wagner Group but faces severe allegations of civilian abuse and torture in Mali.
Moscow is leveraging partnerships to secure critical African resources, including bauxite…: Moscow is leveraging partnerships to secure critical African resources, including bauxite in Guinea, potential uranium in Niger, and a gold refinery in Mali.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
African nations weigh political incentives as Moscow offers limited economic benefits compared with China and the West.
In 2019, I travelled to Berengo Palace, outside Bangui, to interview Russian mercenaries.
Once the home of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the Central African Republic’s self-crowned emperor, it was now occupied by fighters from the Wagner Group. One of the first things they told me was not about the country they had come to defend, but the country they had left.
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A man named Vladimir shook my hand.
“Russia is back in Africa,” he said.
Seven years later, Wagner’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is dead.
In the Sahel, Wagner has given way to Africa Corps, controlled by Russia’s Ministry of Defence. Moscow is fighting a war in Ukraine, where Africans have been recruited, some under false pretences. An investigation…
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