Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan begins a three-day state visit to Russia on Wednesday – the first official trip by a Tanzanian head of state to Moscow since 1969 – as her government faces growing criticism from Western countries over violence linked to the country's 2025 elections.
The visit is expected to focus on economic cooperation, with possible agreements in energy, mining, agriculture, infrastructure and transport, while Hassan is also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Relations between Dar es Salaam and several Western partners have become increasingly strained since the October 2025 election and the unrest that followed.
A government-appointed commission of inquiry said 518 people were killed and thousands more injured, adding that many of the victims died from gunshot wounds, though it stopped short of assigning responsibility for the deaths.
The United States has said it is reviewing relations with Tanzania, while several American lawmakers have called for greater accountability over reported human rights violations following the vote.
Historic ties
Russia has taken a different approach. Putin was among the first world leaders to congratulate Hassan after her election victory, which official results put at 98 percent.
Relations have continued to warm since then. A Russia-Tanzania Business Council was established in January, while Air Tanzania announced plans to launch flights between Dar es Salaam and Moscow before the end of the year.
Historical ties between Tanzania and Russia are often overlooked in current discussions about the visit, Tanzanian researcher Thomas Kibwana told RFI.
"Diplomatic relations between our two countries are not new," he said.
The Soviet Union was among the first countries to recognise the independence of Tanganyika, the mainland territory that later united with Zanzibar to form modern-day Tanzania, on 9 December 1961.
Diplomatic relations with Moscow were established three days later.
Russia currently accounts for about $400 million in investments across 44 projects in Tanzania and those projects have created nearly 3,000 jobs, Kibwana said. Russian companies are also involved in several strategic minerals projects, including lithium.
Kibwana rejected the idea that Tanzania was turning away from the West.
"I would speak more of a diversification of relations than a break with the West," he said.
Western pressure
While Western criticism since the October 2025 election is one of the factors surrounding the visit, it does not fully explain it, Alex Vines, director of the Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told RFI.
"The United States is today more focused on China than on Russia," Vines said, adding that Washington would be less concerned by the visit than European governments.
Several major European projects remain under discussion in Tanzania, particularly in the energy sector. Vines said Brussels would be watching closely for any announcements made during the visit.
Russia is also competing with a range of other international players already active in Tanzania, including China, the European Union, Gulf states, Turkey and Egypt.
"It's a very competitive market," Vines said.
The visit will include cooperation agreements covering higher education, science and technology, investment and information technology. Talks are also expected on trade, energy, mining, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism.
Hassan is also due to receive an honorary doctorate from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia. Organisers said the award recognises her diplomatic efforts, her policy of diversifying international partnerships and her contribution to Tanzania's international profile.
(with newswires)
