Russia plans to expand its influence in Africa: the GUR explained how

Russia continues to expand its influence in African countries not only through military cooperation, but also by creating educational and cultural projects.

This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

According to the agency, Russia is not only supplying and arming local groups in the region, but also plans to create a network of so-called “Russian houses.” They are positioned as cultural and educational centers.

“The opening of “Russian houses” in Africa is carried out through the federal agency “Rossotrudnichestvo” in cooperation with the “Center for People’s Diplomacy” (CND) – an organization founded in 2024 with the declared goal of expanding the network of “Russian houses” on the African continent,” the GUR report states.

The Director General of the Center for People’s Diplomacy is Dmitry Savelyev, a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from the United Russia party.

The main task of the CND is to provide Africans with “reliable” information about Russia.

The project in Africa is coordinated by a steering group:

• • Natalia Krasovskaya is the executive director; she also heads the Consortium of Russian Universities for Work with African Countries;

• • Leonid Isaev — Advisor to the Executive Director, responsible for organizing delegation visits to Africa, Research Fellow at the Institute of Africa, RAS;

• • Valeria Manovitska is Deputy Executive Director, Head of the Educational Projects Department, and Curator of Rossotrudnichestvo and Russian Houses in Africa.

The GUR emphasizes that the key focus of these centers is influencing youth through educational programs, language courses, and cultural events.

It is also planned to open new centers in a number of African countries, including Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Liberia, Mozambique and other countries.

A separate area of activity is preparing young Africans to move to Russia as labor migrants or students. To this end, they will be given the image of a “successful and prosperous Russia” and taught the Russian language.

At the same time, the real situation, as noted in the intelligence, is significantly different. For many Africans, moving to the Russian Federation ends with signing contracts and participating in the war against Ukraine.

The ultimate goal of this activity is to form a loyal attitude towards Russia among the younger generation of Africans.

In this context, Moscow’s long-term presence in Africa is of strategic importance, as critics describe it as a tool for resource exploitation of the continent, involving the large-scale exploitation of natural resources at the risk of serious economic and environmental consequences for future generations.

In particular, the local population in this project is viewed as cheap labor both at Russian enterprises in African countries and at production facilities in Russia itself, where Africans end up after “training” in “Russian homes.”

“Promises of development and partnership from the Kremlin, as well as information processing of the African population through the system of “Russian houses” are elements of a cover-up for classic colonial exploitation and plunder of Africa,” the GUR concluded.

Previously, “Pryamiy” reported that Russian propaganda launched a large-scale disinformation campaign , trying to justify strikes on civilian and cultural sites in Kyiv during a massive attack on Ukraine on the night of June 15.

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