On Sunday, African leaders joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg for the annual Navy Day celebration.
The Russia-Africa Summit, which took place in St. Petersburg last week on July 27 and 28, brought together the presidents of the Republic of Congo, Mali, Eritrea, and Burkina Faso.
Putin praised the “courageous crews of Russian ships and submarines” who are taking part in the attack in Ukraine during his statement before to the military parade. He specifically praised the Black Sea fleet, which frequently participates in bombardments.
“In the name of Russia, our sailors are giving their all, showing true heroism and fighting valiantly, just like our great ancestors”, Putin said. He made no reference to the conflict in Ukraine in his speech.
Forty-five surface ships and submarines and around 3,000 sailors took part in the parade in the former imperial capital to mark Russian Navy Day, which is widely celebrated across the country.
The African leaders took a boat trip with Putin after the event to the port city of Kronstadt, where the Russian leader vowed to “implement” agreements which had been made with the visiting African leaders in recent days.
