Russia Offers to Help African Countries Quantify Reparations for Colonial Crimes and Transatlantic Slave Trade
Irina Abramova Says Russian Scholars Will Collaborate with African Experts Using Mathematics, Economics, and Archives to Build Strong Legal Claims
Russia has expressed readiness to support African nations in precisely calculating the scale of reparations owed by Western countries for crimes committed during the colonial era and the transatlantic slave trade.
Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, made the announcement on Wednesday, March 25, during a press conference themed “The Responsibility of Western Metropolises for the Consequences of Colonisation: History and Modernity.”
Abramova stated that Russia aims to combine the expertise of Russian mathematicians, programmers, historians, and economists with African researchers to create a robust, evidence-based case for reparations.
“We aim to unite the efforts of Russian scholars – mathematicians, programmers, historians, and economists – with African researchers in order to jointly substantiate the scale of these reparations and move forward with legal claims on various international platforms,” she said.
She stressed the importance of accurately quantifying the damage caused by colonialism using modern scientific methods and extensive colonial-era archives preserved across Africa. This would strengthen African countries’ claims for compensation, which could include financial reparations, return of cultural artefacts, land restitution, and formal acknowledgments of historical injustices.
Context and Russia’s Position
The offer comes as global momentum for reparatory justice grows. Ghana, under President John Dramani Mahama, recently tabled a landmark resolution at the United Nations General Assembly seeking to declare the Transatlantic Slave Trade and racialised chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity. The motion received support from 123 nations.
Abramova clarified that Russia is not claiming leadership of the reparations agenda but is offering technical and scholarly assistance. She emphasised that “Africa’s problems should have African solutions” and that Russia, which never colonised Africa, is well-positioned to provide objective support without historical baggage.
She praised President Mahama, who chairs the African Union’s reparations committee, describing him as both an outstanding political leader and a scholar actively advancing the reparations discourse from a historical and political issue into a concrete, practical agenda.
Historical Scale
Between the 15th and 19th centuries, an estimated 12.5 million Africans were forcibly captured and transported across the Atlantic in the transatlantic slave trade, primarily by European powers. Millions more died during raids, marches to the coast, or in the brutal conditions of the Middle Passage and plantations.
The reparations debate remains highly contentious. Supporters argue that the intergenerational economic, social, and psychological impacts of slavery and colonialism justify compensation. Critics contend that present-day states and institutions should not be held accountable for actions that occurred centuries ago.
Russia’s proposed collaboration focuses on building a data-driven, legally sound framework to support African claims on international platforms.
This development adds a new dimension to the growing international conversation on reparatory justice, especially following Ghana’s high-level event and resolution at the UN.
Sources: African Initiative media agency, Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and related reports (March 25, 2026)
