Russia is expanding its energy expansion in Africa
kremlin continues its attempts to expand influence in Africa — most recently through a memorandum of cooperation between rosatom and Niger’s Ministry of Energy on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, along with announced plans to build power plants and distribution systems in the country.
▫️ russia uses energy projects as tools of geopolitical expansion, seeking to bypass Western sanctions and gain support from regional elites. Such memoranda offer kremlin political leverage, access to resources (including uranium), and mechanisms to bind partners to russian technical and expert infrastructure. Behind the mask of “peaceful atom,” russia embeds control systems that may threaten regional energy security.
Meanwhile, other countries are increasingly cautious about energy cooperation with russia due to sanctions-related risks. Even moscow itself faces growing challenges — for example, the Akkuyu NPP project in Turkey is under pressure: the contractor faces $58 million in debt and asset seizure, while workers protest over unpaid wages.
