During the Cold War, the Soviet Union's influence on African states was widespread and deep. Things changed when the Berlin Wall fell, and now under President Vladimir Putin they're changing again. Russia's global ambitions have grown, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Africa last week suggests an attempt to reassert influence.
Russia's timing is good - Africa is both searching for and being courted by new strategic partners, amid changing geopolitical dynamics. In the past, the Soviet Union offered African independence movements valuable material and ideological support as they sought liberation from their Western colonisers. Russia provided training and education to many African leaders.
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