Sport as an instrument of Russia’s influence in Africa
This September, Republic of Сongo will host the second rhythmic gymnastics tournament in honor of alina kabaeva.
▫️ Organizers present it as an important sporting and cultural event for the region, and athlete preparation included internships at the “heavenly grace” academy in sochi. Within a year, the number of girls practicing rhythmic gymnastics in Congo has increased fivefold, and new clubs have opened in several cities across the country.
▫️ This kremlin initiative is promoted as a “bridge of friendship” and youth cooperation abroad. In reality, however, such projects are used for propaganda and to build a positive image of russia internationally, while distracting attention from the country’s real social and economic problems.
While moscow tries to work with “sports youth” abroad, it is sharply reducing spending on sports domestically. The 2025 budget is set to be “revised” so that about 2 trillion rubles ($25.6 billion) will be redirected to war efforts and security services at the expense of social programs, sports, and infrastructure. War spending already makes up 40% of russia’s entire budget, and the deficit has reached a record 4.88 trillion rubles ($61.5 billion).
▫️ russia is actively using sports and cultural initiatives to strengthen its influence in Africa, where it is trying to establish itself through economic and educational projects, “russian houses,” and other forms of soft power.
russia’s focus on Africa is driven by access to resources and the region’s strategic importance. Deploying “heavy artillery” in the form of alina kabaeva underscores the kremlin’s serious intentions to shape a positive image of russia and influence the youth of african countries.
