Abstract. In late 2023, a special unit was created within the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation – the African Corps (AС). The formation of the corps marked a new stage in Russia’s Africa policy. The formation of AC by Russia’s political leadership and command of the Armed Forces was driven by several major challenges, above all, by shifting geopolitics on the African continent and rapid decline of France’s influence in Central Africa. It manifested itself in a reduction of the Fifth Republic’s military presence in the region – the end of “Operation Barkhan” and de facto expulsion of the French expeditionary forces from its formerly undisputed area of dominance in countries that had once been part of the French colonial empire. As terrorist attacks by radical Islamist militants against Russia-friendly states in the Sahel and Central Africa mounted, Russian military specialists from the ranks of “Wagner” private military company (PMC) got involved in the fight against terrorism and population protection upon the request of these countries’ governments. The 2023 mutiny staged by leaders and some of the fighters of “Wagner” PMC in Russia spurred the need to replace the relatively autonomous private military company with a unit of the Russian army, subordinate to a single political will and strict military discipline. The formation of the AС is intended to promote Russia’s geopolitical and economic interests in Africa, support counterterrorism, and strengthen defense capabilities of African states with which Russia has reached agreements on military–technical cooperation.