Has Russia really turned on South Africa over the land issue?

It’s a topsy-turvy time for international relations — but even so, a claim doing the rounds on X this week was hard to swallow.

It is that Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov criticised the ANC in a recent interview over the Expropriation Act — seemingly substantiated by a video clip that shows Lavrov saying that South Africa “now violated human rights by passing a law on land”.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on human rights violations in South Africa. pic.twitter.com/oyz2exeLcg

— A Non Gentle Gentile (@kryger109) March 17, 2025

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, has criticised South Africa's@MYANC
and@EFFSouthAfrica
for the poor manner in which they are treating minorities, especially Boers.

— Neanderthal Hendrik (@krafthendrik) March 17, 2025

The clip is real, not generated by AI. It is taken from an interview given by Lavrov, the world’s longest-serving foreign minister, on 12 March in Moscow to three US vloggers: Mario Nawfal, Larry C Johnson and Andrew Napolitano.

Nawfal is notable for being an Elon Musk protégé who is accused of dodgy dealings in crypto and has lately landed interviews with authoritarian heads of state (Aleksandr Lukashenko, Paul Kagame) and accused sex traffickers (Andrew Tate) and given them a thoroughly sympathetic hearing.

The full interview between Lavrov and the bloggers can be viewed here.

The main thrust of the exchange revolves around Russia’s relationship with the West.

Lavrov accuses the West of applying a very selective and hypocritical appreciation for “human rights”, depending on when it is politically expedient to do so.

It is in this context that he raises South Africa, with his full comments as follows:

“This is about governments, the Joe Biden administration, Ursula von der Leyen and her [European] Commission, the Brits, who regularly accuse Russia of corruption, of violating human rights and who basically, whatever international issue they discuss, start with human rights. Iran, Venezuela, Cuba of course, Nicaragua; South Africa now violated human rights by passing a law on land, Central Asia…”

It is clear from the context that Lavrov is in fact being sardonic — accusing Western powers of condemning human rights violations when it suits them while, he claims, they turn a blind eye to other situations.

In the full interview, Lavrov reiterates Russia’s support for Africa as a political bloc.

He says: “Some people would say, ‘Oh, Russia is now changing and is turning away from the East, from China, from India, from Africa.’ It’s an illusion.”

Conclusion: No, Russia has not criticised South Africa over the Expropriation Act.

If anything, Russia has been laying it on thick in recent days when it comes to its relationship with Pretoria — with a particular focus on reminding ANC leaders about the support they received during the struggle against apartheid from the former USSR.

Read more: Daily Maverick fact-checking hub

The Russian embassy in SA tweeted a notification on 16 March that it would shortly be launching a “photo exhibition that will feature unique images highlighting the ties between the USSR and the African National Congress, as well as support of the anti-apartheid Struggle by [the] Soviet people”. DM