African heads of state and government are gathering in Moscow for the third Russia-Africa Summit, with the Kremlin expecting delegations from 48 countries, including 22 led by heads of state, according to Al Jazeera. The meeting follows a first summit in Sochi in 2019 that drew 43 African leaders and a second in St Petersburg in 2023 that drew only 17 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Analysts cited by Al Jazeera say the draw for many attendees is political rather than economic. Beverly Ochieng, a Dakar-based analyst, told the outlet that the economic case for travelling to Moscow is "much more limited" than for summits hosted by the United States or China, which come with larger investment pledges. In her view, political considerations are the main reason countries send delegations.
Why it matters
The summit is Moscow's most visible effort to show it remains a relevant player in Africa despite Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. For African governments, the meeting is a test of what Russia can actually deliver in trade, investment and security compared with other partners.
The numbers underline the gap. Al Jazeera reports that Russia's trade with Africa stood at about $28bn in 2025, against China's $348bn. The European Union exchanged nearly 355 billion euros ($395bn) in goods with Africa in 2024.
Security deals and a complicated legacy
Russia's most concrete offer in recent years has been military support. In the Sahel, the Wagner Group has been replaced by Africa Corps, a force controlled by Russia's Ministry of Defence. For the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Moscow provides backing that helps them stay in power after the departure of French forces, Al Jazeera reports. Yet armed groups continue to mount attacks, and Human Rights Watch has accused Africa Corps fighters in Mali of killing civilians and torturing detainees.
The human cost has also reached beyond the continent's battlefields. Al Jazeera reports that Africans have been recruited to fight in Ukraine, some under false pretences, and that an investigation by Journalists for Justice documented 502 African deaths by June 2026. The outlet describes families in Cameroon, including a mother in Douala waiting for her son's body, and a small Russian Orthodox congregation there whose pastor was trained in St Petersburg.
Moscow's standing in Africa rests partly on history. The Soviet Union trained generations of African officers, politicians and students during the decolonisation era, and Ochieng, who studied Russian at the embassy in Kenya, told Al Jazeera that Moscow can still invoke the argument that it never colonised the continent.
Economic ties are expanding in specific sectors. In Mali, construction has begun on a gold refinery backed by Russia's Yadran Group, with the Malian state holding a 62-percent stake. In Guinea, aluminium producer Rusal runs bauxite mines and an alumina plant. In Niger, subsidiaries of Rosatom are discussing uranium projects with the government following the takeover of a mine previously run by France's Orano, while a separate effort to sell existing uranium stockpiles remains in dispute.
President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that Russia's goal was not to "steal something from Africa" but to "develop together", according to Al Jazeera.
Limits of the relationship
Some observers see risk in Russia's security-first approach. Sergey Eledinov, a former Russian officer and security analyst, told Al Jazeera that propping up governments may simply give them room to pursue other partners, arguing that survival does not breed loyalty but creates options.
Ochieng also warned against reading too much into Russian flags at street demonstrations, saying such displays do not mean that all Africans are pro-Russia. For Moscow, she said, the summit is above all a chance to demonstrate continued political relevance at a time when the West increasingly treats it as a pariah.
At the 2023 summit, Putin offered free grain to six African countries, and Russia later delivered it, Al Jazeera reports.
What to watch: whether this year's gathering produces concrete trade or investment commitments to match the political turnout, and how African governments balance Moscow's security offers against deeper economic ties elsewhere.
