Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea are already confirmed to reopen Russian embassies in their capitals.

Putin has also sought to exploit the rising Pan-African anti-colonial sentiments brewing in Africa.

The Wagner Group is one of the key tools Russia has been using to expand its empire in Africa.

The verdict of Western observers on the outcome of July Russia-Africa Summit is that it was a failure, largely because of the smaller-than-expected number of heads of state in attendance.

But, according to Moscow, the conference rekindled the progress it had been making to strengthen relations with the African continent.

“We highly value the results of our joint work at the Summit. I am sure the achieved results are creating a good foundation for further deepening the Russia-Africa partnership in the interest of our nations’ prosperity and wellbeing,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a post-Summit speech.

One of the regions Russia has targeted is the Sahel, where it has promised to re-establish some of the diplomatic missions that had not been opened in 30 years during the era of the Soviet Union.

Seventeen heads of state attended the summit, down from 45 leaders who attended the maiden 2019 edition.

The significance of the low turnout of heads of state, however, wasn’t lost on the Russians themselves. The Kremlin blamed it on “sabotage” by the West, singling out the US and France for pressuring African leaders to boycott the summit. Notable attendees, however, were the presidents of Egypt, South Africa and Senegal.

“Virtually all African states have been subjected to unprecedented pressure from the US, and French embassies on the ground have not been sleeping either, along with other Western missions who are also trying to do their bit to prevent this summit from taking place,” Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian Presidency, told reporters.

The countries where these proposed embassies are located have not been named but discussions are underway. Russia is currently present in 37 countries on the continent, with 34 embassies.

Maria Zakharova, Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Moscow intends to open embassies in some new countries and increase its staff in some others where they already exist.