Despite war, South Africa and Russia stay old friends

JOHANNESBURG » Ships, sailors and soldiers from Russia and China have begun arriving in South Africa for joint military drills that feature a Russian warship bearing the letters Z and V — Russia's patriotic symbols for its war in Ukraine — and carrying what Russia boasts is a hypersonic missile.

At a time when many countries have cut ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, South Africa has leaned into its longtime alliance with Moscow — leaving officials in the United States and Europe sputtering in outrage.

South Africa's leaders have made no apologies. The friendship between South Africa and Russia dates to the struggle against apartheid. In recent months, another Russian ship, the Lady R, a tanker under U.S. sanctions, enjoyed a warm welcome to South African shores. And Russia's foreign minister joked and smiled with his South African counterpart at a news conference.

“I'm really proud that we enjoy excellent diplomatic relations with your country, which we regard as a valued partner,” Naledi Pandor, South Africa's foreign minister, said during the meeting with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Pretoria last month.

The recent show of support from South Africa, the most developed economy and an influential voice on the African continent, has provided crucial backing for Russia as its invasion of Ukraine has made it a pariah elsewhere.

South Africa gets a superpower ally that can help it inflate its global influence. And South African officials also see an opportunity to help their nation's beleaguered economy by increasing trade with Russia, just as Moscow is seeking friendly nations to do business with to bypass U.S. and European sanctions.

Mzuvukile Maqetuka, the South African ambassador to Russia, told Russia's state-run news outlet Sputnik that the countries were discussing increasing investments in oil and hydroelectric power, and starting direct commercial flights from Moscow to Cape Town.