Relationship dossier
Russia
Somalia
Relationship assessment
A history of cooperation and Russian debt relief coexist with Somalia’s opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia toward Somalia
+15Russia participated in debt relief for Somalia, including cancellation of a substantial portion of Somalia’s debt under international debt-relief arrangements. The scope of current Russian government cooperation with Somalia is unclear.
Somalia toward Russia
-10Somalia voted in 2022 for the UN General Assembly resolution deploring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, signaling opposition to a major Russian government policy.
Overall relationship
0The relationship combines a legacy of Soviet-era cooperation and Russian participation in Somali debt relief with a major contemporary disagreement over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The extent of sustained bilateral engagement in recent years is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Russia and Somalia have a history of Soviet-era cooperation, and Russia later provided debt relief to Somalia. Somalia voted in 2022 for a UN General Assembly resolution deploring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These facts indicate some concrete cooperation alongside a significant political disagreement, but the scope of current bilateral engagement is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Somalia’s opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expressed in its 2022 UN General Assembly vote.
Key developments
Russia participated in debt relief for Somalia under international debt-relief arrangements.
Somalia voted for the UN General Assembly resolution deploring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of current bilateral agreements are unclear.
- Details of recent Russian government cooperation with Somalia are limited.