Putin’s Presidential Chopper Gift to Zimbabwe
Vladimir Putin has presented the president of Zimbabwe with a helicopter, Harare announced on Thursday, as he seeks the support of African leaders in Saint Petersburg.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe is among those attending a two-day Russia-Africa summit that is being viewed as a measure of Putin’s support on the continent following his invasion of Ukraine.
“His Excellency President Putin has given President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa a Presidential Helicopter,” Zimbabwe’s information ministry wrote on social media.
It published images of Mnangagwa descending the blue aircraft’s steps and seated in the cabin in front of a table with white wine glasses and a bowl of fruit.
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“This bird will soon be gracing our skies,” added government spokesman Nick Mangwana on Twitter, which is rebranding as X.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine offensive, Russia has sought to strengthen diplomatic and security ties with Africa to reduce its isolation on the international stage.
Zimbabwe is also an international aberration, with US and European sanctions against its leadership for corruption and human rights violations.
Mnangagwa, 80, who is running for re-election in what analysts predict will be a contentious election next month, has long blamed the punitive measures for his country’s dire economic situation.
“The victims of sanctions must cooperate,” Mnangagwa said in a video released by the information ministry as he stood in front of a helicopter. Also targeted by Western powers is Moscow.
After the Kremlin withdrew from an agreement allowing Ukrainian grain exports to reach global markets via the Black Sea, Putin on Thursday named Zimbabwe as one of six impoverished African nations that will receive free grain from Russia.
Putin’s Presidential Chopper Gift to Zimbabwe
