Security · Horn of Africa
Ethiopia unveils Russian Su-35 jets and S-400 plans in Moscow as its standoff with Eritrea hardens
Abiy Ahmed says Ethiopia has taken delivery of its first 12 Su-35 fighters, a year early, with four S-400 batteries to follow. Russia’s arms exporter says two jets have been handed over so far. No price or financing has been disclosed.
ADDIS ABABA — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced that Ethiopia has taken delivery of Russian Su-35 fighter jets and will receive S-400 air-defence systems. He made the announcement on the sidelines of the Russia–Africa summit in Moscow, as fighting in Tigray and a breakdown in relations with Eritrea raise fears of a wider war in the Horn of Africa.
“Today, in accordance with our prior agreement with the Russian government, we have taken delivery of the first twelve Su-35 4++ Generation fighter jets,” Abiy said in a social media post on Wednesday, the state Ethiopian News Agency reported. He thanked President Vladimir Putin for delivering the aircraft a year ahead of the agreed schedule and said Ethiopia would also receive four S-400 batteries. “Ethiopia’s newly deployed military jets will remain more ready than ever to defend the airspace!” he wrote on X, according to Anadolu Agency.
Twelve, or two?
The headline figure is contested. Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms exporter, told Reuters that only the first two jets had been delivered, The Africa Report reported. Images released by Abiy’s office showed two Ethiopian-marked aircraft outside Moscow. Neither the arrival date of the remaining fighters nor the S-400 timetable has been disclosed, and Addis Ababa has not published the contract value or how it is being paid for.
The Africa Report noted that Ethiopia is restructuring its external debt under a $3.4bn IMF programme. It cited earlier Su-35 and S-400 sales to China and Turkey as benchmarks that point to a multibillion-dollar commitment, while cautioning that those prices are not directly comparable. It said there was no public evidence of who is financing the deal.
A different kind of war
Abiy said the purchase was about deterrence. “If we fail to build this capability, surviving as a country in our region will become difficult. Countries with sufficient preparation are not easily defied,” he said, the BBC reported. He said Ethiopia had become the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to own this class of aircraft. A military intelligence analyst, Qalaab Segatu, told BBC Amharic that the acquisition indicated Ethiopia “was preparing for possible wars with other countries, not just internal conflicts”.
The timing matters. Fighting between federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front resumed in September, with each side blaming the other for breaking the 2022 Pretoria agreement. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the TPLF, which Asmara denies. Ethiopia closed its embassy in Eritrea on 1 October and Eritrea cut diplomatic ties, The Africa Report said. Eritrea fears that Abiy’s repeated demand for sea access could become an attempt to take the port of Assab. Abiy has called Ethiopia’s lack of direct sea access an “existential question”, the BBC noted.
AB24’s reading from Addis Ababa: drones won the last war for the federal government. Air-superiority fighters and long-range air defence are built for a fight with another state’s air force, and that is how Asmara will read them. Both Abiy and President Isaias Afwerki were in Moscow this week and Russia has offered to mediate, according to The Africa Report, but no rapprochement has been announced. Russia is offering itself as a peacemaker while arming one of the two sides. Watch for confirmation of how many jets have actually arrived, and for any response from Asmara.
Sources: ENA, 28 Oct 2026; Anadolu Agency, 28 Oct 2026; BBC News, 28–29 Oct 2026; The Africa Report (with AFP), 29 Oct 2026.
— AB24 · Addis Ababa