Euromaidan Press, an on-line independent newspaper run by Ukrainian volunteers, published on 18 February 2026 a commentary titled "Why Ukraine Keeps Losing African Allies--And What Russia and China Built While No One Watched" by Peeter Helme.
Africa is the location of competition between Ukraine, on the one hand, and Russia and China, on the other. Ukraine is losing. Eight African countries now vote against Ukraine in the UN General Assembly (UNGA), up from one at the outbreak of Russia's attack against Ukraine in early 2022. Support for Ukraine collapsed from 28 African countries in 2022 to 10 during a UNGA vote in February 2025. Most are now non-committal.
The article attributes this loss of African support for Ukraine to a Russian disinformation campaign in Africa, an expanded scholarship program, Russian Orthodox Church outreach, and mercenary support in several countries. Russia's efforts in Africa are assisted by its ally, China, which has a massive economic engagement with the continent. China also has 53 embassies in Africa, Russia 40, and Ukraine only 18. The asymmetry in all categories of engagement is vast.
The article concludes that the ground shifted not because African countries support Russia's war, but because Moscow and Beijing built systems that reward distance from Kyiv.
