Why Russia Didn't Scramble for Africa?

Unlike France, Germany, Britain, and Belgium, Russia was one of those nations in the western world that was quite unpopular during the period of the Scramble for Africa. Russians were interested in setting up trading colonies and spreading Christianity in Africa. But the attempt to do so was a half-hearted one.
To understand why Russia didn't partake in the Scramble for Africa, we must first go through the circumstances that defined Russia in the 19th century. Russia, which was also known as the Russian Empire at the time was an enormous and vast nation. It cuts across Eastern Europe and Asia, and it was the largest land empire in the world.
The vastness of the Russian Empire was staggering, as it covered over 17 million square kilometers. Its European part stretched from the borders of modern-day Poland to the Pacific coast, while its Asian territories extended even further east. Russia in the 19th century was one of those nations which did not partake in the Scramble for Africa.

One of the primary reasons for Russia's absence in Africa was geographic. The African continent lies far to the south, and separated by thousands of miles of challenging terrain, including vast deserts and dense jungles. This made it logistically complex and expensive for Russia to launch colonial expeditions to Africa. An interest in Africa would have been very problematic for Russia. Moreover, Russia faced an obstacle from the Ottoman Empire, which controlled key territories separating Russia from Africa. These geopolitical considerations discouraged Russia from pursuing African colonization.Also, throughout the 19th century, Russia was deeply engaged in European power politics. The Great Game, a strategic rivalry with the British Empire over Central Asia, commanded much of Russia's attention. This competition for influence in Central Asia diverted resources and strategic focus away from Africa.
Furthermore, Russia was more concerned with conflicts from other European powers such as France and Germany. These rivalries took precedence over African ambitions, Russia was more interested in securing dominance on the European continent .
Another crucial factor was Russia's limited naval power compared to major colonial powers like Britain and France. Effective overseas colonization required a strong navy to support expeditions, establish trade routes, and protect colonies. Russia's naval capabilities fell short in this regard. Without a formidable navy, Russia lacked the means to secure and maintain colonies in distant lands, making African colonization almost impossible.

✅COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER
Africa Reloaded doesn't fully own some of the materials compiled in its videos. It belongs to people or organizations who ought to be respected.
If used, it falls under the following provisions: Copyright disclaimer section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. "Fair use" is allowed for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarships, and research.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[zephaniarutlokwana]

Russians are good people by nature and principle. Geographicall position of Russia is not the reasons. Had tjat be so they could colonized their neighbors. They are no colonists by nature or greed. They assisted African countries in freeing themselves ifrom European colonization

[amanabout]

Russia and US were part of the Berlin Convention discussing partition of the continent. US opted out to focus exploiting South America and Russia was already vast and had no sea outlets to connect with colonies in Africa, so settled in colonizing the near central and steppe nations while trying to annex those under the Ottomans in the guise of "protecting the orthodox christians".