Moscow is using Africa as a space in which it can reduce the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions pressure by shifting external transactions into crypto-based payment channels operating outside the traditional banking system.

The emergence of A7 in Niger and Zimbabwe indicates the promotion of an international payments mechanism based on stablecoins and debt instruments, functioning beyond the conventional financial infrastructure where U.S. control is typically strongest. The system was created by pro-Russian Moldovan politician and businessman Ilan Shor and the sanctioned Promsvyazbank, one of the key financial institutions serving Russia’s defense sector.

Africa’s inclusion in this scheme is not accidental. The rapid…