The General Staff of Togo received three Russian Mi-35 combat helicopters in early November. This is reported by Africa Intelligence. According to them, Russia supplied the equipment secretly – "to help in the fight against armed groups that threaten the country." The contract consolidates the military-diplomatic rapprochement launched between Togo and Russia last year.
At the end of April, Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dassi received Russian Ambassador Igor Yevdokimov to Lomé to work on strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
According to the report of the Center for Defense Reforms, the Russian Federation is trying to strengthen its presence on the "dark continent". From 23 to 27 July 2022, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited four African countries. He met with country leaders and African counterparts, speaking to Arab League officials in the hope of enlisting support for their positions on the war in Ukraine.
Russia is also trying to influence public opinion in Africa through its state television network RT.
The focus of the Russians is South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Zambia, Libya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, as well as Mali, where Russian equipment was supplied during the military coup.