African leaders are gathering in Moscow for the Russia-Africa Summit, the latest test of how much weight Russia carries on the continent. The Kremlin expects delegations from 48 countries, including 22 heads of state or government.
The turnout has swung sharply over the years. In 2019, 43 African heads of state or government attended the first summit, held in Sochi. After Russia invaded Ukraine, only 17 came to the 2023 gathering in St Petersburg, where President Vladimir Putin offered free grain to six African countries. Russia later delivered it.
Beverly Ochieng, an analyst based in Dakar, says the financial draw is modest. Compared with United States-Africa and China-Africa summits, Moscow offers fewer large investment commitments. "The political incentives for attending are the primary reasons why these countries are there," she said.
For the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Russia provides something more immediate: support to remain in power. France was pushed out and Russia stepped in. In the Sahel, the Wagner Group has given way to Africa Corps, which is controlled by Russia's Ministry of Defence. Armed groups still carry out attacks, and Human Rights Watch has accused Africa Corps forces in Mali of killing civilians and torturing detainees.
Russia is also seeking commercial openings as Western sanctions bite. In Mali, construction has started on a gold refinery backed by Russia's Yadran Group, with the Malian state holding a 62-percent stake. In Guinea, Russian aluminium giant Rusal runs bauxite mines and an alumina plant. In Niger, Rosatom subsidiaries are in talks with the government on uranium projects after the takeover of a mine once operated by France's Orano, though a separate effort to sell existing uranium stockpiles remains in dispute. Earlier this month, Putin said Russia's aim was not to "steal something from Africa" but to "develop together".
The numbers still show a wide gap with other partners. Russia's trade with Africa was about $28bn in 2025, against $348bn for China. The European Union exchanged nearly 355 billion euros ($395bn) in goods with Africa in 2024.
Russia's war in Ukraine has also reached African households. Africans have been recruited to fight there, some under false pretences, and an investigation by Journalists for Justice documented 502 African deaths by June 2026. In Douala, Cameroon, a mother named Regina is waiting for the body of her son Moses, who went to Russia to fight.
Analysts see limits to Moscow's influence. Sergey Eledinov, a former Russian officer and security analyst, argues that by securing governments Russia may give them room to look elsewhere. "Survival doesn't create loyalty," he says. "It creates options." Ochieng also warns against reading Russian flags at demonstrations as proof of widespread support, saying they do not mean "all Africans are just sitting around being pro-Russia."
She notes that Moscow can still draw on Soviet-era ties, when the Soviet Union trained generations of African officers, politicians and students, and on the argument that it did not colonise Africa. For the Kremlin, she says, the summit is a chance to show its continued "political relevance", even as the West increasingly treats it as a pariah state.
