{"id":1389605,"date":"2026-06-17T15:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/?p=1389605"},"modified":"2026-06-16T11:05:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T08:05:51","slug":"russia-builds-influence-network-in-africa-through-education-and-russian-houses-ukrainian-intelligence-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/russia-builds-influence-network-in-africa-through-education-and-russian-houses-ukrainian-intelligence-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia Builds Influence Network in Africa Through Education and \u201cRussian Houses,\u201d Ukrainian Intelligence Says"},"content":{"rendered":" <p>Russia continues to expand its influence across African countries not only through military-technical cooperation but also through information, cultural, and educational initiatives.<\/p>\n   <p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/\">UATV English,<\/a> this was <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/DIUkraine\/8689\">reported<\/a> by Ukraine\u2019s Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.<\/p>\n   <p>Alongside arms deliveries and military support for certain armed groups in the region, Moscow is developing a network of so-called \u201cRussian Houses,\u201d presented as cultural and educational centers.<\/p>\n    <blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cThe opening of \u2018Russian Houses\u2019 in Africa is being carried out through the federal agency Rossotrudnichestvo in cooperation with the \u2018Center for Public Diplomacy\u2019 (CPD), an organization established in 2024. Its stated goal is to expand the network of Russian cultural centers in Africa and promote a positive image of Russia,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n   <p>The center\u2019s director general is Dmitry Savelyev, a member of the Russian State Duma from Putin\u2019s ruling party, United Russia.<\/p>\n   <p>The project in Africa is coordinated by a leadership team that includes:<\/p>\n    <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Natalia Krasovskaya, who also heads the Consortium of Russian Universities for Cooperation with African Countries;<\/li>\n   <li>Leonid Isayev, responsible for organizing delegation visits to Africa and a researcher at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences;<\/li>\n   <li>Valeria Manovitskaya, who oversees educational projects and coordinates activities of Rossotrudnichestvo and Russian Houses in Africa.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n   <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Focus on Youth<\/h3>\n   <p>Ukraine\u2019s intelligence service notes that a key area of activity for these structures is engagement with young people through educational programs, language courses, and cultural events. New centers are reportedly planned in several African countries, including Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Liberia, and Mozambique.<\/p>\n   <p>Another area of focus is preparing young Africans to move to Russia as labor migrants or students by promoting an image of a \u201cprosperous Russia\u201d and teaching the Russian language.<\/p>\n   <p>According to HUR, however, the reality often differs sharply from that portrayal. The agency claims that for some Africans, including students, travel to Russia can end with signing contracts with Russian occupation forces and being deployed to combat units participating in Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n   <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Building Ideological Influence<\/h3>\n   <p>The Kremlin\u2019s ultimate goal, according to Ukrainian intelligence, is to cultivate a generation of ideologically loyal Africans who will not question Russia\u2019s activities in their countries.<\/p>\n   <p>In this context, Moscow seeks a long-term presence in Africa, which critics describe as a mechanism for resource extraction. This includes the large-scale exploitation of natural resources, potentially resulting in significant economic and environmental consequences for future generations.<\/p>\n   <p>As an example, HUR points to Sudan, where groups allegedly linked to Russian influence have been associated with environmental problems, including mercury contamination of water resources caused by artisanal gold mining.<\/p>\n   <p>\u201cLocal populations in this scheme are viewed solely as a source of cheap labor \u2014 both for Russian-operated enterprises within African countries and for production facilities in Russia itself, where Africans arrive after undergoing \u2018training\u2019 in Russian Houses.<\/p>\n   <p>The Kremlin\u2019s promises of development and partnership, as well as information campaigns targeting African populations through the Russian House system, are elements of a cover for what amounts to classic colonial exploitation and plunder in Africa,\u201d the intelligence agency stated.<\/p>\n   <p><strong>Read also:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/uk-unveils-major-new-sanctions-package-targeting-russia-s-shadow-fleet-and-military-supply-networks\/\">UK Unveils Major New Sanctions Package Targeting Russia\u2019s Shadow Fleet and Military Supply Networks<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russia continues to expand its influence across African countries not only through &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":1376518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,49,36415,53,36422,50],"tags":[76,78,72930],"sources":[],"class_list":["post-1389605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-news-en","category-11473-news-en","category-russia-en","category-11473-news-en-3","category-svit-en","tag-glavnoe-en","tag-homepage-en","tag-russian-disinformation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - 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