Russia's positioning as a protector of sovereignty, a pragmatic approach to cooperation in the fields of security, training and institutional development, as well as its resistance to external pressure may be of great interest to developing countries in Africa. A team of authors from the Center for the Study of Stability and Risks of the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University (Andrei Kurotiev, Leonid Isaev, Alisa Shishkina, Dzhemilya Musaeva, Vadim Ostyuzhenin) presented the results of a study on the study of Russia's image in Africa in the format of a RIAC workbook. It is based on survey data among young Africans conducted in 18 countries on the continent in the first half of the 2020s. The results indicate a positive perception of Russia on the continent, key factors being the historical memory of Soviet aid to the peoples of Africa, as well as a sense of continued political and economic support from Moscow. Russia is valued by Africans as a more desirable partner than Western countries (and even China): while the Europeans still carry neo-colonial methods, Moscow is seen as a more reliable and pragmatic partner that does not present unacceptable or onerous demands. At the same time, the level of personal contacts between Africans and Russians, as well as awareness of Russia, remains very low. The conclusion is that it is necessary to better inform the African population about the aid that is given and to develop humanitarian, educational and cultural instruments of "soft power" to strengthen Russia's image in Africa.

Russia's positioning as a protector of sovereignty, a pragmatic approach to cooperation in the fields of security, training and institutional development, as well as its resistance to external pressure may be of great interest to developing countries in Africa. A team of authors from the Center for the Study of Stability and Risks of the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University (Andrei Kurotiev, Leonid Isaev, Alisa Shishkina, Dzhemilya Musaeva, Vadim Ostyuzhenin) presented the results of a study on the study of Russia's image in Africa in the format of a RIAC workbook. It is based on survey data among young Africans conducted in 18 countries on the continent in the first half of the 2020s. The results indicate a positive perception of Russia on the continent, key factors being the historical memory of Soviet aid to the peoples of Africa, as well as a sense of continued political and economic support from Moscow. Russia is valued by Africans as a more desirable partner than Western countries (and even China): while the Europeans still carry neo-colonial methods, Moscow is seen as a more reliable and pragmatic partner that does not present unacceptable or onerous demands. At the same time, the level of personal contacts between Africans and Russians, as well as awareness of Russia, remains very low. The conclusion is that it is necessary to better inform the African population about the aid that is given and to develop humanitarian, educational and cultural instruments of "soft power" to strengthen Russia's image in Africa.