Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed used X during a two-day Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow to announce that Ethiopia had received 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets and would acquire four S-400 air defence systems from Russia.
The jets arrived a year earlier than expected under an existing agreement between Ethiopia and Russia. Abiy called the acquisition a 'milestone' for Ethiopia’s defence capacity and said the equipment would strengthen the country’s ability to preemptively deter aggression.
He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as 'a close friend of Ethiopia'. Abiy also said Ethiopia had become the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to own Su-35 fighter jets.
The Su-35 can operate in air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, and can detect and neutralize incoming cruise missiles at distances of up to 200 kilometers.
Ethiopia and Russia signed their military cooperation agreement in July 2021, with the stated aim of improving the Ethiopian armed forces’ training and technology. In January, Ethiopia displayed newly acquired Russian Yak-130 advanced jet trainers during celebrations for the air force’s 90th anniversary.
The new delivery comes amid renewed fighting in northern Tigray. A peace agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 2022 ended two years of fighting between government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front forces. Researchers at Belgium’s Ghent University estimate that the earlier conflict killed about 500,000 civilians.
Fighting has since resumed between the government and the TPLF, with each side accusing the other of breaching the 2022 agreement. Government troops and allied forces entered the regional capital, Mekelle, on 4 October after TPLF fighters withdrew.
A TPLF commander subsequently called for continued resistance in a television broadcast. Ethiopia also accuses Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, an allegation Eritrea denies.
Elsewhere, federal forces have been fighting Fano, an Amhara armed group, since 2023. Ethiopia has extensively used military drones, including drones sourced from Turkey and China, in recent conflicts.
Russia supplied 15 percent of Africa’s imports of major weapons between 2021 and 2025, making it the continent’s third-largest supplier.
Comments (0)