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Russia’s long game in Africa and Latin America

It began with bananas and Soviet-era weapons. In early 2024, Ecuador tried to offload its ageing Russian arms stockpile to the United States, which intended to pass it on to Ukraine. Moscow responded with a trade war, partially banning Ecuadorian banana imports and sending shockwaves through the country’s economy. Within weeks, Quito backed off from the deal, caught between western alliances and dependence on Russian trade.

September 27, 2025 - Alice Volfson - AnalysisIssue 5 2025Magazine

Amid shifting political and economic tensions, seemingly neutral cultural initiatives provide Russia with a durable and non-confrontational way to maintain visibility in Ecuador and elsewhere. Photo: Matthew Swagler (used here with his permission)

In the heart of downtown Quito, tucked in the middle of Parque El Ejido, amid colonial churches and street vendors selling fruit, stands a bronze bust of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Just 35 metres away, behind a construction fence, a sign announces the June 6th inauguration of the “Diálogo de Culturas” memorial – a small tribute to the Ecuadorian poet Medardo Ángel Silva and Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, the Soviet-era Russian Cultural Centre now bears a mural of Pushkin and his great-grandfather. Far from Moscow, these quiet symbols of Russian culture raise a question: what is Russia doing here, and why now? 

Political mythmaking

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