Ukrainian officials report that Russia is expanding its presence and influence across Africa through educational programs and youth initiatives designed to cultivate political leaders and “cultural elite” favorable to Moscow.

According to Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, Russia maintains government-funded university quotas specifically for African students. The programs focus on agriculture, engineering, education, and medicine, with students receiving state-sponsored education in Russian institutions.

“African education and sports are increasingly being used by the aggressor state as instruments of hybrid influence aimed at forming a new generation of political and managerial elites loyal to the Kremlin,” Yusov stated.

The intelligence assessment indicates that Russia plans to establish Russian language courses at major African universities alongside professional development programs for local educators. The long-term objective involves synchronizing African educational curricula with Russian Federation standards.

This educational strategy represents part of what Ukrainian officials describe as an effort to embed Russian perspectives within African education systems permanently. 

Pushkin’s days in Africa

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation also reported that Russia utilized celebrations of poet Alexander Pushkin’s birthday to advance its influence campaign. Events marking the occasion occurred in several African capitals on 11 June, organized by Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s state agency for international cooperation.

According to the Center, these cultural events served dual purposes. While featuring poetry recitations and Russian language instruction, the gatherings also included anti-Western messaging and justifications for Russian foreign policy decisions.

“‘Pushkin days’ are just a façade that Russia uses to cover its true intentions of increasing its influence in Africa. By holding such events, Russia presents itself as a supposedly powerful country with a great culture, while simultaneously fostering a negative perception of the ‘collective West,'” the Center writes.

Kremlin officials publicly stated that Russia seeks the “complete destruction” of Ukraine, signaling Moscow’s lack of interest in genuine peace negotiations, according to recent statements analyzed by the Institute for the Study of War.

Russia’s Istanbul memorandum reflects the Kremlin’s public demands for Ukraine to make significant territorial and political concessions while Russia offers no concessions of its own.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev claimed on 3 June that Russia needs negotiations in Istanbul to result in Russia’s “swift victory [in Ukraine] and the complete destruction” of the Ukrainian government rather than a “compromise[d] peace on someone else’s delusional terms,” the ISW reports.

Medvedev stated that Russia’s 2 June Istanbul memorandum aligned with these objectives and threatened that Russia will “explode” everything and “disappear” anyone who opposes Russia in response to recent Ukrainian drone strikes.

The operation Spider Web on 1 June involved over 100 Ukrainian drones, covertly transported into Russia hidden in trucks, which targeted Russian strategic airbases destroying or damaging 41 long-range bombers used for attacks on Ukraine.

The ISW assesses that Russian officials have engaged with the United States in bilateral meetings as part of ongoing US mediation efforts, but have yet to demonstrate willingness to compromise on their long-standing demands.

Russia remains committed to pursuing demands that amount to nothing short of Ukraine’s full capitulation and will continue this objective as long as Putin believes Russia can militarily defeat Ukraine.

Simultaneously, Russia continues expanding its military capabilities against Ukraine, with reports by Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate showing that Russian forces had stockpiled over 13,000 ballistic, cruise, and other missiles as of mid-May 2025.

The stockpile includes almost 600 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, over 100 Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles, almost 300 Kh-101 cruise missiles, over 400 Kalibr cruise missiles, up to 300 Kh-22/32 cruise missiles, about 700 Oniks cruise missiles and Zirkon anti-ship missiles, about 60 North Korean-produced KN-23 ballistic missiles, and approximately 11,000 S-300/400 air defense missiles.

The intelligence directorate estimated that Russia can produce roughly 150-200 missiles per month. The ISW concludes that Russian efforts to increase domestic drone and missile production and ongoing adaptation of strike packages are likely part of preparations for a prolonged war in Ukraine and possibly a future conflict against NATO.

In May 2025, the ISW also reported that Russia increased production of Shahed drones from about 100 to a planned 500 per day, and upgrading drone technologies with AI and improved navigation to evade Ukrainian defenses.

President Vladimir Putin outlined specific conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, including written commitments from Western leaders to halt NATO’s eastward expansion and lift portions of sanctions on Russia.

Three Russian sources with knowledge of negotiations told Reuters that Putin demands written guarantees from major Western powers against NATO enlargement eastward, effectively ruling out membership for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.

Additional conditions include Ukrainian neutrality, partial Western sanctions relief, resolution of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the West, and protections for Russian speakers in Ukraine.

One source indicated that if Putin cannot secure a deal on his terms, he will demonstrate through military victories that “peace tomorrow will be even more painful” for Ukrainians and Europeans.

“Putin is ready to make peace but not at any price,” one senior Russian source with knowledge of top-level Kremlin thinking said.

Putin and Russian officials have consistently stated that any peace agreement must address what they term the conflict’s “root causes” – referring to “NATO expansion” and Western support for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine rejects granting Russia veto power over its NATO aspirations and urges strong Western security guarantees to deter future Russian attacks. NATO also previously stated it will not modify its “open door” policy due to Moscow’s demands. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly stated that Ukraine will not accept any agreements or deals about its future that are made without its direct involvement and emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that Ukraine’s return to neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status remains a condition for conflict resolution.

Following a two-hour conversation with Trump last week, Putin also announced agreement to work with Ukraine on a memorandum establishing peace accord parameters, including ceasefire timing. Russia says it is currently drafting its version of the memorandum without providing a timeline for completion. Ukrainian and European officials have accused Moscow of deliberate delays while troops advance in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha claimed that Russia’s intensified demands mirror the aggressive posture of 2022 during previous Istanbul peace talks. The Institute for the Study of War warned that accepting Russia’s terms would effectively mean Ukraine’s capitulation and threaten its sovereignty.