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France 24
France 24
World
Sébastian SEIBT

Soviet spies in Africa: How the KGB expanded Russian influence during the Cold War

Guinean independence campaigner Amilcar Cabral (top left) worked with soviet agents. The KGB were also behind attempts spread fake news about the 1961 French generals' putsch in Algiers (top right) and to stage a countercoup to restore Ghanaian Prime Minister, Kwame Nkrumah, to power in 1966. © Studio Graphie Média Monde and AFP

Russian influence in Africa has deep historical roots, from supporting an attempted coup in Ghana to spreading fake political news in Algeria and training African fighters in Crimea. FRANCE 24 looks back on four little-known Soviet operations aimed at furthering Russian interests in Africa during the Cold War

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 reignited an old battle for global influence between Russia and the West that has also put Africa in the spotlight.

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