Ukrainian intelligence says Russia seeks African military deals and naval access before summit

Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) says Russia has stepped up diplomatic contacts across Africa ahead of the Russia–Africa summit planned for 28–29 October 2026. It claims Moscow wants to use the event to secure military agreements and naval access. HUR published the claims on its Telegram channel on 26 October. It gave no documents or other evidence, and the claims could not be independently verified.

What HUR claims

According to HUR, Moscow hopes to sign a series of strategic agreements at the summit. They would deepen cooperation with African states in political, military, energy and economic areas. HUR says the Kremlin's priority is to gain as many advantages as possible to strengthen Russia's war effort.

The agency lists specific countries and the kinds of agreements it says Russia will offer:

• Benin and Senegal: documents on military cooperation.
• Cameroon, Congo, Madagascar, Nigeria and Togo: agreements that would simplify port calls by Russian warships and support vessels.

HUR also says Russia is interested in three logistics facilities for its navy on the Red Sea and Horn of Africa coasts:

• a naval logistics point in Port Sudan, Sudan;
• restoring a Soviet-era logistics point in Berbera, Somalia;
• a logistics hub at the port of Assab, Eritrea.

The agency says these arrangements would support the expansion of Russia's military campaign in Africa by the "Africa Corps". It describes the Africa Corps as controlled by the Russian Defence Ministry. HUR says the arrangements would increase the corps' offensive capabilities and allow its spread to other countries on the continent.

HUR's post does not say which governments have received these proposals. It does not say whether any have responded, or how the agency obtained the information. The post is a statement by one side in the war. No African government mentioned in it has commented in the sources available to RealUA, and neither has Russia.

Background

The Africa Corps is a Russian military structure that has taken over much of the role of the Wagner private military company in Africa. It is widely reported to operate in Mali and in other countries in the Sahel and elsewhere on the continent. Moscow has presented its presence as security cooperation with partner governments.

The Russia–Africa summit is a Russian-hosted diplomatic format. The previous summits were held in Sochi in 2019 and St Petersburg in 2023.

Access to Red Sea ports has been a long-running Russian goal. Moscow signed an agreement with Sudan in 2020 on a naval facility at Port Sudan. It has not, to RealUA's knowledge, been implemented. The Soviet Union used a naval facility at Berbera in Somalia in the 1970s. HUR's reference to a "Soviet-era" point in Berbera refers to that history.

RealUA has not previously covered Russian activity in Africa. HUR regularly publishes assessments of Russian plans and activities. These are typically presented without supporting evidence, and RealUA has flagged them as unverified in earlier reports.

What happens next

The summit is scheduled for 28–29 October. Whether any of the agreements HUR describes are signed will become clear from the summit's outcomes and from statements by the governments involved.