Russia's war in Ukraine disrupts energy ties and blocks civilian communications

The conflict in Ukraine has exposed growing weaknesses in Russia's reliance on fossil‑fuel revenues. President Vladimir Putin has avoided a full general mobilisation, instead offering high recruitment bonuses and drawing thousands of workers from the Global South. Simultaneously, Moscow is expanding its influence in Africa through a mix of military aid, diplomacy and propaganda, while repeatedly claiming that Western sanctions have little effect on its economy.

In the occupied regions of eastern Ukraine, Russian authorities have severely limited civilian communications. Internet access is throttled, popular messenger apps are blocked, and phone calls and money transfers between Ukrainian and Russian numbers are prohibited. Families separated by the front line resort to VPNs, alternative messaging platforms, and contacts in third‑party countries to maintain contact, often using coded language to avoid repression.