Kremlin expands media footprint in Africa — Ukrainian intelligence
Russia is rapidly increasing its influence over Africa’s information
space, using state-run media such as the TASS news agency and RT television to
spread pro-Kremlin narratives, Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence reported on July 13.
According to HUR, Russian propaganda outlets now broadcast
in more than 40 African countries and in six languages. In June 2025, RT began
translating content into Portuguese for audiences in Mozambique and Angola. By
year’s end, it also plans to launch programming in Amharic, targeting viewers
in Ethiopia.
“Russian propaganda is a global threat designed to serve one
goal — the territorial, resource, and cultural expansion of the aggressor,”
said Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s HUR.
Russia’s RT network is expanding its reach across the
continent. In just two years, the number of African partner channels airing RT
content has doubled from 30 to 60.
RT is also running educational programs for local
journalists. In 2024 alone, more than 1,000 African media workers were trained
according to Russian standards. In June 2025, the network began offering
in-person instruction in Addis Ababa.
Russia plans to scale these programs to other countries.
Recruitment is already underway for staff to lead newly created “correspondent
stations” who will also oversee training centers.
The TASS agency is expanding its own footprint in Africa.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, TASS intends to open bureaus in Ethiopia,
Senegal, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other African nations.
Personnel for these outposts are being vetted under the supervision of Russia’s
FSB security service.
After the 2023 collapse of the Wagner private military
company and the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin established
the African Corps — a new structure that absorbed Wagner’s operations on the
continent. According to the European Union, the corps is controlled by Russia’s
GRU Unit 29155, which has been repeatedly linked to sabotage and assassination
operations across Europe.
In December, the EU imposed sanctions on the unit’s
commander, Maj. Gen. Andrei Averyanov, for coordinating the African Corps’
activities.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
