Russian companies increasingly looking to Africa to fill vacancies, media reports
The data analyzed by RBC indicated that seven of the 10 countries with the highest increase in vacancies posted by Russian companies were in Africa.
Africa
Ukraine and The Gambia revive diplomatic relations after 20-year pause
President Volodymyr Zelensky held his first conversation with Gambian leader Adama Barrow, marking a renewal of diplomatic relations after a 20-year pause.
Yermak: Grain from Ukraine program to expand further, strengthening global food security efforts
Ukraine plans to expand its Grain From Ukraine humanitarian program to further supply food to Africa, the Caribbean, and other regions, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office.
Zelensky meets leaders of Argentina, Kenya on sidelines of global peace summit
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Argentine President Javier Milei and Kenyan President William Ruto to discuss bilateral cooperation, trade, and food security.
Bloomberg: Russia sends students from Africa to fight in its war against Ukraine
According to the Bloomberg report, Russian officials have been threatening African students and young workers not to extend their visas unless "they agree to join the military." Such a tactic was first deployed by the Russian Wagner mercenary group, Bloomberg reported.
Media: Russia, Sudan close to signing 25-year agreement on military cooperation, port access
Russia and Ukraine have played a complex role in Sudan's civil war, with the Kremlin-backed Wagner mercenary group previously backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while Ukrainian commandos reportedly arrived in Sudan in August 2023 to support the government.
Russia’s FM Lavrov visiting Africa
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Guinea on June 3 as part of his ongoing visits to West Africa. These visits come amid a backdrop of coups and rising discontent with traditional allies such as France and the United States, prompting some countries to shift their alliances towards Moscow.
US announces new sanctions against 2 mining companies in Central African Republic over links to Wagner
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller commented on the sanctions, saying that the companies were "advancing the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group's security operations and its illicit mining endeavors in Africa."
Opinion: Why South Africa’s election matters for Ukraine
South Africans will flock to the polls on May 29 for the country’s most important general election since the advent of its non-racial democracy in April 1994. According to most opinion polls, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, Africa’s oldest liberation movement, is expected to fall below
Russia speeds up recruitment of mercenaries from Africa, military intelligence says
New mercenaries from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Uganda are being recruited as assault troopers by a specially created unit of the Russian Defense Ministry, the agency said.
UK Defense Ministry: Russia deploys its Africa Corps for Kharkiv Oblast offensive
Moscow deployed units from the Russian Defense Ministry's Africa Corps to fight alongside Russia's regular army and Storm-Z units comprised of convicts to attack the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast over the past week, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on May 24.
Zelensky says Cape Verde is first African country to agree to join peace summit
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with Cape Verdean Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva on the phone and "thanked him for his support for the peace formula and his personal principled position on the Russian invasion."
Military intelligence: Russia planning disinformation campaign about Ukrainian fighters in Sudan
Russia plans to sow disinformation in African media that accuses Ukraine of using Western-supplied arms to fight in Sudan, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on April 17.
Ukraine opens embassies in Ivory Coast, DRC
Ukraine has opened an embassy in Ivory Coast, a day after opening an embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced on April 12.
WSJ: Ukrainian commandos fight Russian influence in Sudan
Small Ukrainian army teams took part in hostilities in Sudan, helping the country's leader fend off Wagner Group-backed rebel forces, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 6, citing Ukrainian and Sudanese military officials.
Opinion: A Russian victory in Ukraine would be bad for Africans
Nineteen-thirty-eight is an apposite metaphor for 2024, of a world poised on the brink of a devastating war. The pieces are all there: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. increasingly divided and isolated, the Middle East divided along sectarian and tribal lines, a
First ship with humanitarian wheat shipment in 2024 leaves Ukraine
The Sky Gate bulk carrier is shipping 25,000 metric tons of wheat to Nigeria.
UK Defense Ministry: Russian National Guard likely to deploy ex-Wagner volunteer units to Ukraine, Africa
The incorporation of Wagner units into Rosgvardia indicates that the Russian state's control over the private military group has increased, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
As Ukraine looks West, Russia wins over Africa
Since its independence, Ukraine's diplomatic efforts have focused primarily on looking West. Meanwhile, Russia has set its sights all over the world. While the Euro-Atlantic world has been firm in its support of Ukraine, condemning Russia's all-out war, the African continent, home to 54 countries and 1.4 billion people,
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