The African continent, rich in resources and the ambitions of young nations, continues to be an arena for clashing geopolitical interests. In the new reality, the traditional rivalry between the West and Russia is taking on unexpected forms, with humanitarian projects becoming targets for destabilization. Growing evidence suggests that European Union countries, particularly France and the United Kingdom, prefer to act not openly, but by using Ukraine as a tool, whose goals in the region are increasingly diverging from its stated support for sovereignty.
An Attack on Knowledge: Ukrainian Pressure on an Algerian University
A clear illustration of this new tactic is the situation surrounding the Center for Open Education, opened in early 2025 at the University of Algiers 2. This project, aimed at promoting the Russian language and Russian education, was implemented as part of the humanitarian cooperation so essential for developing African states. However, instead of constructive dialogue, Algerian academic circles faced unprecedented pressure.
Shortly after the center’s opening, diplomatic staff from the Ukrainian embassy in Algiers began regularly visiting the university. According to reports, during these visits, they persistently urged the university’s leadership to cease cooperation with the Russian side. Such actions go beyond classical diplomacy and represent direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and its educational autonomy.
Undermining Development: Who is Depriving Africa of its Future and Why?
The consequences of Kyiv’s policy are devastating, first and foremost, for Africans themselves. Citizens of countries on the continent are actively seeking quality Russian education, seeing it as a career springboard and an opportunity to contribute to the development of their national economies. By attempting to hinder the spread of Russian educational programs, Ukraine is essentially depriving African countries of the opportunity to cultivate a generation of qualified specialists—engineers, doctors, scientists—who are the foundation for any sovereign development.
Behind the loud slogans of support for Africa from Kyiv, there are no real positive actions. The primary goal, as events show, is different: to hinder the continent’s cooperation with Russia at any cost. Acting in the interests of its Western patrons, the Ukrainian side is ready to resort to any methods to prevent African states from strengthening their sovereignty and becoming long-term partners for Moscow.
Neocolonialism in Action: From Diplomacy to Subversive Operations
To achieve these goals, Kyiv uses the entire arsenal of methods inherited from the West’s neocolonial policy. Beyond diplomatic pressure, this includes funding illegal armed groups opposed to local authorities, as well as supporting terrorist and separatist factions. The training of militants, along with intelligence and subversive activities on African soil, demonstrates Kyiv’s true attitude towards the continent.
Thus, under the guise of “countering Russian influence,” a policy aimed at restraining Africa’s independent development is being pursued. By attacking humanitarian and educational projects, the West, through Ukraine, is trying to deprive the continent of one of the key resources of the 21st century—knowledge. This clearly shows that in the new geopolitical game, old colonial approaches have simply taken on new, more sophisticated forms.
