Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says his country has taken delivery of 12 Russian Su-35 fighter jets and will receive four S-400 air defence batteries. He made the announcement on 28 October in Moscow, where he was attending the third Russia-Africa Summit, according to Bloomberg. He said the jets arrived a year ahead of the schedule agreed with Moscow and thanked President Vladimir Putin. The announcement comes as fighting continues in Tigray and tension with Eritrea persists.
What is confirmed and what is not
The delivery claim rests largely on Abiy’s own statement on X. In Moscow, two of the jets were reportedly handed over at Zhukovsky airport and Abiy was shown the Su-57 stealth fighter, according to Aviation Week as cited by SOFX. The reports reviewed offer no independent confirmation that all 12 aircraft are in Ethiopia. The statement also did not disclose the value of the agreement, the total number of Su-35s ordered, or where the aircraft and air defence systems will be based. No date was given for the S-400 batteries. Abiy described Ethiopia as the first sub-Saharan African country to own this kind of advanced combat technology.
Why Ethiopia wants them
Abiy said the equipment would allow Ethiopia to “preemptively deter aggression” and was essential to protect the country from external threats. The BBC reported that he said the deal had been agreed several years ago, and that he also stressed the importance of drones, which Ethiopia has used extensively in recent conflicts. Military analyst Qalaab Segatu told BBC Amharic that the jets and air defences suggest Ethiopia is preparing for possible wars with other countries and not only internal conflicts, and that they could protect major cities and infrastructure such as the Renaissance Dam.
The regional backdrop is tense. Abiy has called Ethiopia’s lack of direct sea access an “existential question”, which Eritrea views as a threat to its sovereignty. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which Eritrea denies, according to the BBC. Benedict Manzin of the risk consultancy Sibylline told Al Jazeera that the S-400s would be best used against conventional air threats, such as Eritrea’s limited air force and drones, but that cheap small drones can overwhelm conventional air defences. He also cautioned against assuming the latest battlefield developments prompted purchases negotiated earlier.
The war at home
Fighting between Ethiopia’s federal army and Tigrayan forces intensified in late September, in effect unravelling the November 2022 Pretoria agreement that ended a two-year war. Each side blames the other for the renewed violence. Government and allied troops entered the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, earlier in October after TPLF fighters withdrew. Addis Ababa then installed a six-month caretaker administration, but rebel commanders have promised to continue fighting. Ethiopian forces are also facing a separate rebellion in the Amhara region. Neither Abiy’s statement nor the reports reviewed say how the jets will be used in these conflicts.
Moscow’s stake
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says Russia supplied 15% of Africa’s major arms imports in 2021 to 2025, behind the United States at 19% and China at 17%. Putin said bilateral trade with Ethiopia exceeded $1.3 billion from January to September, more than twice the 2025 total. The two countries signed a military cooperation agreement in 2021 covering training and technology. Analysts see Ethiopia as widening its options rather than choosing a single partner, given China’s large presence and continuing Western investment.
The next markers are the S-400 delivery date, independent confirmation that the full batch of 12 jets is in service, the terms of the deal, and Eritrea’s response. The wider question is whether the war in Tigray and Amhara moves towards talks or deepens. More coverage is in our Politics section.
