Ethiopia has taken delivery of Russian fighter jets and air defence systems, a move that lands as fighting continues in the northern Tigray region, where conflict broke out last month.
The timing is hard to ignore. With ground battles still active in Tigray, the arrival of new aerial military hardware signals that Addis Ababa is thinking beyond the immediate front lines and investing in long-term defensive and offensive capacity.
Russia has been steadily growing its footprint as an arms supplier across the continent, and this deal places Ethiopia among the African nations deepening military ties with Moscow. What that relationship looks like in the months ahead is a question worth watching closely.
Originally published by BBC Africa.