Russia in Africa: Who is courting whom?

ABSTRACT

This is an introductory essay for the special issue of the South African Journal of International Affairs, ‘Russia in Africa: Who is courting whom?’

KEYWORDS:

• Geopolitics
• African politics
• Russia
• Africa
• Russia-Africa

Acknowledgements

The guest editors would like to thank the International Relations & Diplomacy Co-Convenors, Dr Odilile Ayodele and Dr Maxine Rubin of the South African Association of Political Studies for proposing this special issue. We also thank Dr Martha Bridgman, editor of the South African Journal of International Affairs, and the editorial team for all their invaluable guidance and support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 See, for example, https://war.ukraine.ua/russia-war-crimes/.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Steven Gruzd

Steven Gruzd is head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme and Russia-Africa Project at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg. His research interests include African governance, Russia-Africa relations and South African foreign policy.

Samuel Ramani

Samuel Ramani is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and a tutor of politics at the University of Oxford where he received his doctorate in March 2021. He is a specialist on Russian foreign policy.

Cayley Clifford

Cayley Clifford is the deputy chief editor at Africa Check, the continent’s leading fact-checking organisation. Prior to this, Cayley worked at the South African Institute of International Affairs on Russia-Africa relations.