Russia has offered African nations scientific and legal expertise to quantify colonial reparations claims, one day after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity, with Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama as the principal architect of the vote.
Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, made the announcement at a Moscow press conference on Wednesday, 25 March 2026, saying Russia aims to unite mathematicians, programmers, historians and economists with African researchers to build an evidence-based case and advance legal claims on international platforms.
She was careful to frame Russia’s role as supportive rather than directive. “Africa must lead its own path,” she said, stressing the importance of local ownership of the reparations agenda.
The announcement came hours after the UN General Assembly voted 123 to three to adopt the resolution tabled by Mahama on behalf of the 54-member African Group. The African Union had previously designated 2025 the Year of Reparations and declared 2026 to 2036 the Decade of Reparations. According to various estimates, potential reparations from European nations to African countries for the legacy of colonialism could range from 18 trillion to 100 trillion US dollars.
The resolution calls on member states to engage in talks on reparatory justice, including formal apologies, restitution, compensation and the return of cultural artefacts. The United States, one of only three countries to vote against, argued it does not recognise a legal right to reparations for acts not prohibited under international law at the time they occurred. European Union members largely abstained, citing legal and definitional concerns over ranking atrocity crimes.
Russia’s offer has drawn scrutiny given the broader geopolitical context. Russia deploys anti-colonial rhetoric as a normative justification for its involvement across Africa, and analysts note that anti-Western sentiment is effectively built into its pan-African messaging strategy. Critics argue that Russia is playing more of geopolitical rhetoric and policy symbolism than delivering concrete economic engagement on the continent.
Historians estimate that between the 15th and 19th centuries, approximately 12.5 million Africans were forcibly transported through transatlantic trade networks dominated by European powers. Some African scholars, meanwhile, argue that external support, however well-intentioned, remains secondary to continent-led action. Scholar Obadele Bakari Kambon, speaking on Thursday, said UN resolutions are not legally binding and called for African-driven solutions including repatriation as a more immediate form of reparatory justice.
The reparations debate now spans financial compensation, land restitution, repatriation of cultural artefacts and formal acknowledgment of historical injustices. Whether Russia’s technical offer will translate into credible legal infrastructure, or primarily serve as geopolitical positioning, remains a question African governments will have to weigh as the reparations agenda moves from symbolic declarations into concrete demands.
