Over the past three years Ukraine has ceaselessly lobbied around the world for support in its fight against Russia. In few places have these efforts been less successful than in Africa. The Ukrainian government has established new embassies, dispatched high-level delegations and donated vast quantities of grain to the continent. Yet in February only ten countries south of the Sahara voted in favour of a UN resolution proposed by Ukraine to mark the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. If forced to pick a side in Europe’s war, most African governments would probably choose Russia.