The New York Times published on 24 June 2025 an article titled "As U.S. Dismantles Voice of America, Rival Powers Hope to Fill the Void" by Tiffany Hsu.
As the Voice of American and its affiliated networks such as Radio Free Asia shut down at the request of the Trump administration, Russian networks such as RT and Sputnik and Chinese such as Global Times, Xinhua News Agency, and China Global Television Network are filling the void.
The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) posted on 14 May 2025 a one hour televised interview titled "Why Is Russia Deepening Its Engagement with Africa?" with Steven Gruzd, SAIIA.
Following intense engagement by the Soviet Union in Africa during the Cold War, Russian interest dropped dramatically in the 1990s and and only began to return in the 21st century under the rule of Vladimir Putin. The Wagner Group is an example of the new interest. Russia still has a small trade and economic footprint in Africa and provides very little foreign aid. Egypt is its most important partner. It has developed partnerships in the nuclear power field and and remains an important source of arms for Africa. The African countries have very little contact with the former Soviet republics.
The New York Times published on 11 April 2022 an article titled "China's Echoes of Russia's Alternate Reality Intensify Around the World" by Paul Mozur, Steven Lee Myers, and John Liu.
Government-controlled Chinese media are making a special effort to disseminate Russian propaganda and falsehoods about the war in Ukraine to audiences around the world, including Africa.
The South African Institute of International Affairs published on 28 March 2022 a study titled "Russia's Soft-power Sources in Africa" by Eleonora Tafuro Ambrosetti.
The author concluded that Russia's common cultural sources of soft power in the West do not seem particularly influential in Africa. Russia's political values, however, (multilateralism, anti-imperialism and non-interference) are particularly well received by policymakers in the Global South. Russia's allure in Africa is based on its image as a global player that can stand up to the West.
Comment: If anti-imperialism and non-interference are valued in the Global South, Russia's invasion of Ukraine would seem to undermine both values.
The South African Institute of International Affairs published in February 2022 a study titled "Russian and African Media: Exercising Soft Power" by Cayley Clifford and Steven Gruzd.
Russia's state-owned media outlets are central to the Kremlin's strategy and are drivers of its soft power in Africa. Services like Sputnik and RT find resonance among African editors, although they operate on a limited budget.
