Russia Turns to Africa as Gazprom Loses Europe
Russia is actively seeking to expand its gas exports to African nations to compensate for the loss of European markets following the invasion of Ukraine. Moscow is offering comprehensive energy infrastructure solutions to secure long-term partnerships.
Why it matters
This shift reflects Russia's desperate need to diversify its energy revenue streams as Western sanctions and EU bans significantly impact its traditional export model.
Russia is looking to Africa for new gas buyers as Gazprom struggles to replace the European customers it lost after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to The Moscow Times on October 16, 2026, Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov told Russian Energy Week that Russia was ready to supply gas to African countries, explore for deposits there and develop any reserves it finds.
Tsivilyov pitched more than gas. “Our country can offer a comprehensive solution: modernize existing hydropower plants, build solar and thermal power plants, lay power lines, supply substations and transformers, and create power system management and dispatch centers,” he said, as quoted by the state news agency TASS. He described Africa as a “long-term market” for Moscow ( The Moscow Times ).
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