Russian President Vladimir Putin and the president of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, at the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, Russia, Oct. 23, 2019 (TASS pool photo by Gavriil Grigorov via AP).

Following Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s approval last month of a new naval base to be built on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, official Kremlin statements have billed the facility as a logistics center that will be defensive in nature—for principal use as a resupply station for Russian warships. In spite of these assurances, Russian media outlets have touted the base as Moscow’s gateway to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, widening the reach of its naval forces. The basing agreement’s terms, which were released on Dec. 8, appear to support this latter view: In exchange for military aid, Sudan will […]