Ethiopia takes delivery of twelve Russian Su-35 fighter jets

Ethiopia has taken delivery of twelve Russian Su-35 fighter jets, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Wednesday.

The prime minister confirmed the arrival of the aircraft on X, noting that they arrived one year ahead of the schedule set in a previous agreement with Moscow. He stated that the new equipment is intended to strengthen Ethiopia's capacity to preemptively deter aggression. In a separate post later that day, Ahmed described the jets as newly deployed and specified that they would be used to defend Ethiopian airspace. He thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for facilitating the faster delivery of the warplanes.

Alongside the fighter jets, Ahmed announced that Ethiopia will acquire four S-400 air defense batteries. These systems are designed to intercept and destroy aircraft and missiles. The prime minister did not provide a specific timeline for the arrival of the S-400 units.

The announcement was made during the two-day Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, where the two sides are negotiating closer security and economic partnerships. This development follows a military cooperation agreement signed in Addis Ababa in July 2021, which focused on improving training and technology for the Ethiopian armed forces. In January, the defense publication Janes reported that Ethiopia displayed newly acquired Russian Yak-130 jet trainers during ceremonies marking the air force's 90th anniversary.

The expansion of military hardware comes as Ethiopian forces engage in active combat in the north. Government troops entered the regional capital of Mekelle on October 4 after fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front withdrew. The TPLF has since lost control of additional towns as federal forces advanced. Addis Ababa appointed a six-month caretaker administration for the region, but fighting continues. A TPLF commander called for continued resistance in a television broadcast last week, and the group claimed attacks against government-aligned troops in northwestern Tigray on Wednesday.

The conflict has effectively reversed the peace agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 2022. Researchers at Belgium's Ghent University estimate that the previous two years of fighting in Tigray killed approximately 500,000 civilians. Government forces are also battling the Fano armed group in the neighboring Amhara region, a conflict that has persisted since 2023.

Russia has emerged as a major arms supplier to the continent amid Western sanctions related to the war in Ukraine. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia supplied 15 percent of Africa's imports of major weapons between 2021 and 2025, positioning it as the third-largest supplier to the region.