Russia enjoys the trust of most African nations in stark contrast to their former Western colonial masters, Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev has claimed, speaking to the Financial Times. He also predicted that the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner PMC is active in several countries on the continent, will not erode Russia’s standing in Africa.
In an article published on Friday, the FT quoted Malofeyev as saying that “anyone representing Russia would enjoy an unchanged situation and the full trust of African leaders.” He attributed this to widespread anti-Western sentiment on the continent.
“The main thing is for them to be Russian, because Russia is trusted infinitely more than the Western colonizers,” Malofeyev insisted.
Having made his fortune as an investment banker in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Malofeyev later turned to conservative and monarchist politics. He is the founder and chair of the media outlet Tsargrad TV. The Ukrainian authorities have accused him of financing the Donbass secessionist movement starting in 2014.