Tag: Russia
Ramaphosa calls for comprehensive, unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on both Ukraine and Russia to commit to a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire, paving the way for meaningful dialogue...
Many obstacles remain for Russian naval base in Sudan
After years of on-again, off-again negotiations, Sudan has agreed to let Russia establish its first naval base on the continent along the war-torn country’s...
Drones changing the rules of modern conflict
The wider use of unmanned vehicles in the Ukrainian theatre has changed the rules of modern conflict, and all armed forces will probably use...
Unmanned surface vessels and their role in African maritime security
Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) have emerged as a transformative technology in modern naval warfare, offering a cost-effective solution to maritime challenges. Ukraine's pioneering use...
African arms imports decline by nearly 50% over last decade
Imports of major arms by African states fell by 44% between 2015–19 and 2020–24, which was mainly due to decreases in the arms imports...
Russia delivers military hardware to Mali
Russia has delivered over 100 military vehicles to Mali, including tanks, trucks, and infantry fighting vehicles.
It is suspected the shipment may have come from...
Africa’s 2024 Security Trends in 10 Graphics
Africa’s persisting conflicts are compounding crises of governance on the continent, straining already fragile regions and opening the door to foreign exploitation through proxy...
The fall of Syria’s Assad regime is bad news for Libya
For Russia, as for Iran, last month’s fall of the 54-year-old Assad dynasty in Syria was a major geo-strategic setback. Former Syrian president Bashar...
Commercial satellites are changing the battlespace and the balance of power
Ukraine has been scoring battlefield victories against Russia despite Russia having 10 times the GDP of the country it invaded. One of the reasons...
South Africa receiving a growing number of visiting foreign naval vessels
After several quiet years during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, naval visitors to South Africa are increasing in numbers, with military vessels from...
UAVs supplied by Iran and the UAE threaten to prolong Sudan...
Since January, Iranian cargo aircraft have been seen regularly at the airport in Port Sudan, the headquarters for Sudan’s ruling junta led by Sudanese...
Non-aligned: A series of confusing events
The week of 28 October to 01 November saw an anti-climactic series of diplomatic activities take place in Pretoria, leaving some furious and many...
Russian air force delegation visiting South Africa, but Tu-160 bombers postponed
A Russian Aerospace Forces delegation is currently in South Africa on a goodwill visit, five years after a similar tour brought two Tu-160 strategic...
Russian Navy frigate Neustrashimy arrives in Cape Town
The Russian Navy frigate Neustrashimy, accompanied by the replenishment vessel Akademik Pashin, arrived in Cape Town on Thursday 3 October, in time for the...
Russia and China bringing additional complications to Africa – Africom
External players in Africa, particularly China and Russia, are bringing additional complications to Africa, including destabilising influences, the head of the US military’s Africa...
Russian state defence export agency pushes hard at AAD 2024
Rosoboronexport, the Russian defence export and import agency, is presenting a wide range of products aimed at the African market at the Africa Aerospace...
Rwanda Mi-35Ms spotted for the first time
The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) has displayed its recently acquired Mi-35M attack helicopters for the first time.
Two Mi-17 transport helicopters and two Mi-35M attack...
Russia sends Africans to fight in Ukraine
Among a handful of prisoners of war captured in Ukraine after fighting for Russia, a young Somali man stood out. He said he joined...
Russian Navy training ship visits Cape Town
The Smolny, a Russian Navy Baltic Fleet training vessel, recently stopped in Cape Town for replenishment and resupply while on what was said to...
Rosoboronexport taking part in debut Egypt International Airshow
Russian state arms conglomerate Rosoboronexport, part of the Rostec State Corporation, will be taking part in the inaugural Egypt International Airshow at El Alamein...
Mali is still unsafe under the military: why it hasn’t made...
The scale of casualties suffered by the Wagner group and Malian forces during a recent assault in the Tinzaouaten region reveal vulnerability in Mali’s...
Russian flags waved during Nigeria protests: why it’s a cause for...
The #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria from 1 August to 10 August took a rather unexpected dimension when some protesters in Kano and Kaduna states,...
Machinery not working properly cited for SAN frigate not going to...
SA Navy (SAN) Chief, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, explaining cancellation of a planned voyage to Russia by SAS Amatola (F145) put it down to...
Russia has tightened its hold over the Sahel region – and...
Armed troops in Niger overthrew the government in July 2023, seizing power for themselves. The following months were rife with speculation that the military...
Russia-Ukraine war spills into west Africa: Mali attacks signal dangerous times...
Russia suffered significant blows to its reputation in mid-2024. An attack on its territory by Ukraine came as a surprise. In west Africa, the...
AFB Hoedspruit final South African stop for Russian Long Range Aviation...
A day ahead of exiting South Africa, a Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS - Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily) delegation spent time at Air Force Base (AFB) Hoedspruit...
Russia contemplating bringing Tu-160s to South Africa again
The Russian military is exploring the possibility of bringing Tupolev Tu-160 bombers to South Africa for the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition at...
Amatola not going to Russia – defects and lack of maintenance...
Another ambitious SA Navy (SAN) target for this year will not be realised with the cancellation of a St Petersburg visit by a Valour...
SANDF expeditionary logistics and lessons from Russia
Whilst at first glance the logistics on display in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war compared to the expeditionary logistics required in typical Southern Africa operations...
Russia mistakenly claims South African APC captured in Ukraine
Ahead of its annual Victory Day parade on 9 May, Russia is displaying a range of military hardware captured during the conflict in Ukraine,...
World military spending rises for the ninth year
World military expenditure is up for the ninth consecutive year to an all-time high of $2 443 billion as war, rising tensions and insecurity...
Analysis: South Africa’s national security priorities in question amidst troop deployment,...
With the planned deployment of up to 2 900 troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the planned visit of a frigate...
Mapping a surge of disinformation in Africa
Disinformation campaigns seeking to manipulate African information systems have surged nearly fourfold since 2022, triggering destabilizing and antidemocratic consequences.
The proliferation of disinformation is a...
Russian frigate Marshall Shaposhnikov arrives in Massawa, Eritrea
The Russian Pacific Fleet frigate, Marshal Shaposhnikov (BPK543), arrived in the Eritrean port of Massawa on Thursday 28 March for a five day visit.
En...
Iran, Russia, and China hold naval exercise with SA as observer
Naval units from Iran, China and Russia commenced a joint naval exercise ‘Marine Security Belt 2024’ in the Gulf of Oman this week Tuesday,...
Russia’s Africa Corps – more than old wine in a new...
The Russian military company Wagner appears to have been renamed the Africa Corps by Moscow, and brought under the control of Russia’s Defence Ministry....
SA Navy will hit the high seas this year with ship...
The South African Navy will this year send the frigate SAS Amatola to Russia for a parade and the logistics vessel SAS Drakensberg to...
Wagner Group is now Africa Corps – what this means for...
In August 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died after his private jet crashed about an hour after taking off in Moscow. He had...
Niger and Russia are forming military ties: 3 ways this could...
In July 2023, Niger’s military took over in a coup just two years after the country’s first transition to civilian power. The coup has...
Moscow conference “exposed” South Africa to practical security strategies
South African Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise’s attendance of the recent Moscow Conference on International Security allowed her to “engage her counterparts...
Scramble for the Sahel – why France, Russia, China and the...
The Sahel, a region 3,860km wide located south of the Sahara Desert and stretching east-west across the African continent, has been a focus of...
Cabinet welcomes White House response to Lady R matter
South Africa’s Cabinet has welcomed the acknowledgement of the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, of the seriousness with which President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed...
Nations expand their nuclear arsenals as global insecurity deteriorates – SIPRI
The number of operational nuclear weapons around the world is increasing as countries expand and modernise their militaries amidst a deteriorating global security situation,...
Questions still abound around Lady R
An executive summary of the Lady R “independent investigation” raises more questions than answers, two opposition parliamentarians maintain.
Freedom Front Plus (FF+) leader Pieter Groenewald...
Presidency publishes Lady R report summary but new questions arise over...
The South African Presidency has published the long-awaited executive summary of the report looking into the arrival of the Lady R cargo vessel in...
No evidence of Lady R loading weapons – Ramaphosa
There was nothing untoward or suspicious about the December arrival of a Russian cargo ship in the Simon’s Town naval harbour, South African President...
Exclusive: Viktor Bout still has his eye on Africa
After spending more than a decade in prison following his conviction in the United States, Viktor Bout is once again a free man in...
Russia highlights arms contracts and defence industry cooperation with Africa
Coinciding with the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg last week, Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has highlighted the joint projects and weapons sales...
Big Rosoboronexport presence at upcoming Russia-Africa Summit
Russian state arms export company Rosoboronexport will be displaying a wide range of military equipment at the upcoming Russia-Africa Summit to be held in...
