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Russia is expanding its influence in Africa through education and youth programmes – intelligence report
Moscow is actively forming the basis for long-term influence in African countries, using soft power tools such as education, youth initiatives and sports. This was stated by a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Andriy Yusov, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine’s press service reports.
According to him, one of the Kremlin’s priorities is to train a new African elite oriented towards the Russian model of governance. For this purpose, state quotas in Russian universities for African nationals are maintained, in particular in the fields of agriculture, engineering, pedagogy and medicine.
“The Russian Federation is systematically working to create a loyal talent pool among African youth. This is a long-term investment in the future of the continent with a pro-Russian vector,” Yusov said.
At the same time, leading African universities are preparing to launch Russian language courses and advanced training programmes for teachers, which will help adapt educational processes to Russian standards.
The Kremlin pays no less attention to sports, which is used as an additional tool to attract young people to pro-Russian programmes. Yusov stressed that such approaches are part of Russia’s global hybrid strategy, which allows the Kremlin to root its narratives in Africa’s future political and governance structures.
