Russia is stepping up military cooperation with Algeria to compensate for the losses related to the sanctions for its war against Ukraine. Algeria is now discussing a ten-year contract for the purchase of Russian weapons.

On the other hand, Algeria is actively gaining from Europe’s increased focus on its energy resources, particularly from Italy and France, related to the reduction of Russian energy supplies due to the war and economic sanctions.

The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to be profitable for the Algerian leadership: Sonatrach, the state-owned oil and gas corporation of Algeria, reported revenue of $21.5 billion in the first five months of 2022, up from $12.6 billion in the same period of 2021.

Algeria officially requested to join BRICS, a group made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa that serves as an alternative to Western integration platforms, on November 7, according to the Algerian Foreign Ministry. Due to the war in Ukraine and the interruption of supply chains, interest in the BRICS organization is primarily driven by relations with Russia and China.

Algeria abstained from voting on the United Nations resolution to condemn the war in Ukraine on March 2. Algeria abstained twice this year from voting on UN resolutions denouncing the war in Ukraine and the annexation of some of its territory, along with nations like Cuba and China. Russia, on the other hand, has chosen to take a neutral stance in the conflict over Western Sahara, a former Spanish territory that Morocco claims conflicts with the Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria.

Moscow and Algeria have maintained strong military and foreign policy ties. Thus, discussions about military collaboration took place on November 10 between Maj. Gen. Said Chengriha, the army’s chief of staff, and Dmitry Shugaev, the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation. 

The Algerian president’s trip to the Russian capital is actively being planned, according to Algeria’s foreign minister Ramtane Lamamra, who stated this on November 11. The Algerian side expects to have it completed by the end of this year.

The Algerian government aims to double the military budget with the money it has gained from the sharp rise in natural gas prices on the international market, but it is uncertain whether the majority of these funds would be utilized to purchase Russian weaponry all at once. Algeria has so already acquired the first battery of a Chinese YJ-12E mobile coastal missile system in a short period after buying it, in addition to the purchase of Chinese and now Turkish combat drones. Some reports claim that this Chinese missile system was acquired instead of the previously intended purchase of the Russian 3K55 Bastion missile battalion.

According to the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, which performs research on the defense industry, the Arab country imports close to 80% of its weapons from Russia and is the third-largest importer of such weapons after India and China.

Algeria is thinking about agreeing to a new, long-term arms contract with Russia that could be valued at up to $17 billion for the acquisition of submarines, Su-57 stealth fighters, and other combat aircraft, as well as cutting-edge air-defense systems like the S-400. The Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune may finalize the ten-year contract when visiting Moscow in December, according to the report, which cited the Paris-based newsletter Africa Intelligence.

While the Russian army is experiencing significant losses in its ground military equipment, which urgently needs to be replaced both for combat operations and to maintain its defense capabilities, it is unclear in the medium term how Russian weapons manufacturers intend to carry out maintenance and new orders. However, it is unlikely that Algeria, a long-time significant importer of Russian military hardware that continues to rely on the Russian military-industrial complex for maintenance, will decide to suddenly enhance its inclination toward Chinese or even Western weapons.

Early in September, Algeria took part in Vostok 2022, a large-scale military exercise held in the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan as well as nine Russian training facilities in the east of the Eurasian country. According to data provided by the Algerian Defense Ministry, the Algerian army contributed at least 100 of the 50,000 ground forces who were deployed. According to the Algerian Defense Ministry, Algeria and Russia engaged in a four-day joint military drill in the Mediterranean Sea in October. To take part in the combined naval exercise in 2022, several Russian fleet warships berthed in the port of Algiers.

Russia and Algeria have begun their first combined military drills on Algerian soil, raising fears in the West about Moscow’s growing links to the important energy supply for Europe in North Africa. The operation began on November 15 and is called “Desert Shield”. In the Bechar region of western Algeria, over 200 soldiers, half of whom are Russian and half of whom are Algerian, will take part. The thinly populated Bechar province is close to Algeria’s border with longtime foe Morocco. The operations will go on for several days. This type of land operation has never been carried out in Algeria. It is a sign that military cooperation between the two countries is advancing quickly.

Algeria, an OPEC member in the Mediterranean, has been thrown into the spotlight of global diplomacy this year as Europe searches the area for replacement natural gas and oil as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Leaders from France, Spain, and Italy have made repeated trips to Algiers this year to secure or increase exports. However, as Algeria strengthens ties with Europe, it is simultaneously stepping up its engagement with Russia.

There are various justifications for this partnership. First, there is the extremely tense situation between Algeria and Morocco, its neighbor. The dispute between the two nations centers on the status of the 600,000-person desert region of Western Sahara, whose status has not been resolved in nearly 50 years. Morocco believes that this territory is its own. Algeria backs the Polisario Front, which seeks to declare Western Sahara independent. Algeria is thus sending a message to Morocco by planning military exercises 50 kilometers from the Moroccan border with Russia. Algiers and Moscow have a long-standing partnership. It has been around since the Soviet Union. To achieve one of its primary diplomatic goals—becoming a member of the “Brics” club—Algiers is also depending on the backing of Moscow. Due to its oil and gas reserves, Algeria is in a strong position during the current energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and tries to make the most of it. 

Members of the European Parliament urge EU response over Algeria’s military relations with Moscow

A group of 17 MEPs urged European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to re-open the EU’s association agreement with Algeria in a letter that expresses ‘deep concern’ at the North African country’s close political and economic ties to Russia.

The MEPs expressed concern that Algeria’s government is “among the top four consumers of Russian weaponry worldwide, culminating in a more than €7 billion arms agreement in 2021.”

The letter emphasized that Algeria is now the third-largest receiver of Russian armaments in the world as a result of the military transfer.

The MEPs also criticized Algeria’s decision to abstain from voting on a United Nations resolution denouncing Russia’s intentions to annex regions of Ukraine, calling the action “astonishing” given that Algeria has consistently attempted to uphold international law and respect national sovereignty. However, it appears that Algerian double standards are the main issue.

The 2005 EU association agreement with Algeria addresses political ties as well as tariff-free trade.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, has strained the EU’s relationship with Algiers and forced several EU governments to look for alternative natural gas suppliers, with Algeria near the top of the list.

The Biden administration was encouraged in a letter signed by 27 Democrats and Republicans to use the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) to impose sanctions on Algeria’s acquisition of Russian weapons. Sanctions can be imposed by the US government on people who have “a major transaction with a person that is part of or acts for or on behalf of, the defense or intelligence sectors of the Government of the Russian Federation” under CAATSA.