State-backed russian corporations — including russian Railways (RZD), the state-owned railway giant, and Rosatom, the state nuclear energy corporation — are leveraging infrastructure projects as a "soft power" diplomacy tool to expand moscow's political foothold across Africa.

"russian infrastructure engagement in Africa is a destabilizing force disguised as development aid. Beneath the surface, it creates strategic dependence on moscow. This is part of a broader global playbook," said Andrii Yusov, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine representative.

RZD is exploring rail development projects in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and South Africa. The company approved a roadmap in May to expand its humanitarian presence abroad by 2030. That plan includes funding russian-language schools and lyceums, offering scholarships to international students for study in russia, and supporting the creation of a joint russian university in South Africa that would attract students from across the continent.

At the same time, Rosatom is advancing projects to build a kremlin-aligned technological elite. In addition to nuclear energy workforce training, the company is developing long-term educational initiatives that embed russian influence in national academic systems.

One such proposal involves opening branches of russian universities near nuclear power facilities, including a site in Alexandria, Egypt, which would serve as a long-term investment in cultivating loyalty among future professionals.