Russia has expanded its military, political and economic ties with Madagascar since a military coup brought Colonel Michael Randrianirina to power last year, according to an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Reporters examined flight records and other documents to trace visits by Russian military intelligence officers and their contacts in the island nation.
In May, Madagascar Prime Minister Mamitianna Rajaonarison met Russian Security Council chief Sergei Shoigu in Moscow to discuss cooperation, including military training.
A month earlier, a Russian delegation visited a disused naval base that Madagascar had agreed to restore with France.
In February, Randrianirina traveled to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
According to the report, Randrianirina expressed interest in cooperation with Russia across several sectors, including defense.
Earlier this year, Russian instructors began training Madagascar’s 1st Airborne Battalion, while Russia delivered an unspecified quantity of weapons.
Russian military intelligence was also involved. Anton Papshev, identified in the investigation as an officer of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, attended the training ceremony.
Another GRU officer, Andrei Averyanov, arrived in Madagascar the previous month with about 40 members of Russia’s Africa Corps, the force that took over some of Wagner Group’s operations in Africa.
Military Takeover
The shift toward Moscow followed a political crisis in Madagascar in 2025.
Youth-led protests began over persistent electricity and water shortages, then grew into a broader movement against poverty, corruption, and the government of then-president Andry Rajoelina.
Soldiers from CAPSAT, an army unit involved in military logistics, joined the demonstrators and withdrew their support for the president.
After Rajoelina fled and lawmakers voted to impeach him, CAPSAT commander Colonel Randrianirina announced that the military had taken power.