Russian Companies Keep Operating in Africa Despite Western Sanctions

Several Russian companies continue to operate and grow across Africa despite international sanctions, according to The Africa Report, which names ride-hailing and tech firm Yango, state nuclear corporation Rosatom and gold miner Nordgold among those expanding on the continent.

The report was published on Thursday, 29 October 2026, as Russian President Vladimir Putin was courting African leaders, presenting Moscow as a preferable partner to what he called the "colonial" West, according to Reuters. France 24 also reported on Putin's push to widen Moscow's footprint in Africa, and DW examined what the Kremlin hopes to gain from the outreach.

The Africa Report's focus on individual firms suggests Russian commercial activity in Africa has continued at company level even where sanctions and Western diplomatic pressure have targeted Moscow. The report does not, in the material available, detail the scale of the firms' operations or how they have handled sanctions.

The coverage also includes criticism. Al Jazeera argued in a linked piece that Russia is selling African countries dependence under the label of partnership, a counterpoint to Putin's framing of Russia as a better partner than Western governments.

The picture that emerges from the reporting is of a Russian economic and diplomatic presence in Africa that has persisted rather than retreated, with private and state-linked companies named as examples.

What to watch next: whether Western governments respond with measures aimed at these companies' African operations, and how African states weigh partnership offers from Moscow against sanctions risk.