Ethiopia has begun receiving advanced Russian Su-35 fighter jets and plans to acquire Russia's S-400 air defence systems, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Wednesday, a major boost to the military of Kenya's northern neighbour at a time of renewed conflict in the Horn of Africa.

Writing on X during his visit to Moscow for the Russia-Africa Summit, Abiy said Ethiopia had received 12 Su-35 jets and would later take delivery of four S-400 batteries, which are designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles. He described the deliveries as a milestone for national security that would help the country "pre-emptively deter aggression".

A year ahead of schedule

Abiy said the fourth-generation jets arrived a year earlier than agreed with Moscow and thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for speeding up delivery. In a second post he said the aircraft had been deployed to defend Ethiopian airspace.

However, Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport told Reuters that "the first batch of two Su-35 aircraft" had been delivered to the Ethiopian Air Force on Wednesday, suggesting the full fleet Abiy described may not yet be in the country. Abiy did not reveal the value of the deal, when the S-400s would arrive or where the jets and missile systems would be based.

Rising tensions at home and next door

The announcement comes as Ethiopia faces several security crises. In Tigray, a rebel alliance launched an offensive last month, reviving a war that killed hundreds of thousands of people between 2020 and 2022. Government and allied forces entered the regional capital Mekelle on 4 October after fighters of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) withdrew, and Addis Ababa has installed a six-month caretaker administration, but clashes continue, Al Jazeera reports.

The renewed fighting has also led Ethiopia to cut ties with Eritrea, which Addis Ababa accuses of backing the rebels. Asmara denies the charge. In the Amhara region, federal troops have been battling the Fano militia since 2023.

During the last Tigray war, air power, especially foreign-made drones, played a key role in turning the conflict in the government's favour, which is why the new fleet is being closely watched across the region.

Russia's growing arms footprint

  • Ethiopia and Russia signed a military cooperation agreement in Addis Ababa in July 2021.
  • Ethiopia displayed newly acquired Russian Yak-130 jet trainers earlier this year at its air force's 90th anniversary celebrations.
  • According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia supplied 15 per cent of Africa's major arms imports between 2021 and 2025, making it the continent's third-largest supplier.

The deal underlines Moscow's push for closer military and economic ties with Africa while it remains under Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Photos: Al Jazeera (Ethiopian handover ceremony with Abiy Ahmed); Aleksandr Markin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.