russia is expanding its tools to bypass sanctions by channeling part of its international payments through crypto-payment routes via African countries, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported.
moscow is promoting the A7 platform in Nigeria and Zimbabwe as an alternative mechanism for external payments. This involves settlements using stablecoins and debt instruments, which are harder to track and block compared to traditional transactions.
Importantly, A7 has been linked to the sanctioned Promsvyazbank and to Ilan Shor, a Moldovan politician associated with russia. This suggests that the platform may be used not only for more convenient payments but also to evade sanctions and move some financial operations beyond regulatory control.
Since being cut off from SWIFT and facing intensified US sanctions, russia has been systematically seeking ways to reduce its dependence on banks and financial routes that are under Western control. Africa has become a key direction due to the rapid growth of crypto payments, demand for cheap international transfers, and weaker regulation of cross-border financial transactions.
