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Egypt–Russia relations () are the
bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...
between
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. Diplomatic relations between the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and Egypt were established on August 26, 1943. Egypt has an embassy in Moscow, while Russia has an embassy in Cairo and a consulate-general in
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
.


History

Relations between Russia and Egypt have a long history, dating back to before the 16th century. Early on, they were centered on the Russian government's and the Russian Church's support for the
Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa (), also known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, is an autocephalous patriarchate that is part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Its seat is in Alexandria, and it has canonical ...
. As early as in 1556, Patriarch Joachim of Alexandria sent a letter to the Russian Tzar Ivan IV, asking the Orthodox monarch to provide some material assistance for the
Saint Catherine's Monastery Saint Catherine's Monastery ( , ), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a Christian monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai ...
in the
Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...
, which had suffered from the Turks. In 1558, the
Czar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
sent to Egypt a delegation led by archdeacon Gennady, who, however, died in Constantinople before he could reach Egypt. From then on, the embassy was headed by a
Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...
merchant, Vasily Poznyakov. Poznyakov's delegation visited Alexandria, Cairo, and Sinai, brought the patriarch a
fur coat Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific item ...
and an icon sent by the Tzar. Poznyakov's account of its two and half years' travels, which may have been the first ever Russian first-hand African trip report, became popular among Russian readers for centuries to follow. Russia continued to provide support to Egyptian Christians for centuries to come. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, Russia supported the
Mamluks Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-sold ...
of Egypt against the Ottomans. The Russians sent multiple expeditions to the
Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...
. In the first half of the 19th century, Russia and Egypt were at odds over the fate of the Ottoman Empire. In the 1950s,
Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...
's independent and anti-imperialist policy earned him enthusiastic support from the Communist government of the USSR. In 1955, Egypt made a major arms deal with Soviet Union, and from then, teams of Egyptian officers were trained in Eastern Bloc countries. Czechoslovak instructors also came in 1956, to train Egyptian personnel in the use of Soviet weapons. When France attacked Egypt during
Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...
, USSR threatened to use destructive weapons i.e. nuclear weapons for the defense of Egypt. The degree of the Soviet approval of the Egyptian leader's policies culminated, rather controversially, in the award of the highest Soviet decoration, the star of the
Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
with the
Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...
to Nasser during
Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...
's visit to the country in 1964. During the Nasser years, many young Egyptians studied in Soviet universities and military schools. Among them was the future president,
Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...
, who went for training in a military pilot school in Kyrgyzstan. During the
War of Attrition The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...
, USSR sent 10-15000 servicemen to operate the air defense of Egypt against Israeli air attacks. The relationship went sour within years after the death of Nasser, when the new president,
Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...
, started re-orienting the country toward the West. On May 27, 1971, the Soviet-Egyptian Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed between the two countries, but relations were nevertheless declining. In July 1972, it was claimed the Egyptian government expelled Soviet military advisors from Egypt, however new research indicates that this was disinformation to hide Egypt's offensive plans, and captured Egyptian documents demonstrate that Soviet advisors continued in their previous roles of training Egyptian troops, and were certainly present during the war in 1973. During the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...
, Soviet Union sent several thousands of tonnes of aid to Egypt. Brezhnev threatened to intervene on behalf of Egypt if Israel broke the ceasefire. Lieutenant General Anatoly Pushkin claimed that 1500 Soviet pilots and air defense experts engaged in combat for Egypt during the war. In March 1976 Egypt abrogated the friendship treaty, and relations between the two countries were damaged once again when Egypt supported the Mujahadeen in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
when the USSR invaded in 1979. In September 1981, these relations were severed by the Egyptian government, accusing Soviet leadership of trying to undermine Sadat's leadership in retaliation to the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. Relations were reestablished under president
Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...
in 1984, and Alexander Belonogov became the Ambassador. In February 1989, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs
Eduard Shevardnadze Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia (country), Georgi ...
visited Egypt. Intergovernmental relations improved after the fall of Communism in the USSR, and Russia's appearance as an independent political actor. In April 2005, the Russian President,
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
, visited Egypt, and Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...
visited Russia in April 2008. Both countries agreed to work together to help Egypt create a nuclear program which is mostly for civilian purposes. In May 2013, Egyptian President
Mohamed Morsi Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012removal of
Mohamed Morsi Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy met with their Russian counterparts, Defense Minister
Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served a ...
and Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004. He is the longest-serving Russian foreign minister since Andrei Gromyko d ...
who were on a visit to Cairo. Fahmy stated that Egypt wished to return to Soviet-level relations with Russia, and Shoigu hinted that there may be military cooperation between the Russian and Egyptian navies and air forces.
Badr Abdelatty Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty (; born 8 February 1966) is an Egyptian diplomat and politician serving as minister of foreign affairs since 2024. Career Abdelatty, born in Asyut Governorate, earned a BA in Political Science in 1987. He went on to ...
, an Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman, stated that Egypt was seeking to increase the independence of its foreign policy. It was the first meeting of its kind since the Soviet era. Since then, Egyptian and Russian leaders have exchanged two rounds of four-way visits in both Cairo and Moscow. Sisi went to Russia twice in 2014: in February, when he was still Egypt's defense minister, and in August after his election as president. The February meeting was Sisi's first visit abroad following Mohamed Morsi's removal, during which Russian president
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
offered him Russia's backing in his race for the presidency of Egypt before Sisi even officially announced his campaign. Sisi made his second visit on August 12 at the Black Sea resort of
Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from  – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...
, and it was his first to a non-Arab or African country since his inauguration as president two months earlier. During the visit, both him and Putin agreed on boosting bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Putin promised to speed up arms sales to Egypt. "We are actively developing our military and technological cooperation," Putin told Sisi. He added that a corresponding protocol was signed in March and that weapons are being delivered to Egypt. Trade and economic investment plans were also announced during the meeting, during which Putin said that Egypt was discussing a
free trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject t ...
with the Russian-led
Eurasian Customs Union The Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union () or EAEU Customs Union () is a customs union of 5 post-Soviet states consisting of all the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia) wh ...
which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan. Additionally, both leaders have discussed plans to establish a Russian industrial zone in the New Suez Canal project that was recently inaugurated by Sisi, as well as another plan to renew and redevelop important projects that were established by the former Soviet Union. In September 2014, a preliminary deal was reached between both countries to buy arms worth $3.5 billion from Russia, despite
international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect i ...
on Moscow as a result of its involvement in the
war in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...
. As a result of the Metrojet Flight 9268 crash on October 31, 2015, which carried 224 passengers on board toward Russia, both countries were planning investigating the crash. On November 28, 2015, Egypt and Russia signed a deal which would allow Russian and Egyptian warplanes to use each other's airbases and airspace. Both countries could be described as "close allies" as Putin usually referred to Sisi as a "Trusted and Close Partner." On 11 December 2017, during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Cairo, the two countries signed agreements in which Russia would build Egypt's first
nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...
, and supply
nuclear fuel Nuclear fuel refers to any substance, typically fissile material, which is used by nuclear power stations or other atomic nucleus, nuclear devices to generate energy. Oxide fuel For fission reactors, the fuel (typically based on uranium) is ...
for the same. It was also agreed that a "Russian Industrial Zone" would be built along the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
, explained by Putin as being "the biggest regional center for producing Russian products onto the markets of the Middle-East and
North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
."


International collaborations

Russia has supported the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war, and intervened militarily in its favor in 2015. Egypt also supports the Syrian government in the Civil War. In 2020, Egypt was reported to have deployed 150 troops to help the Syrian government. Egypt openly backed the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
in the
Second Libyan Civil War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
, while the Russian mercenary organization
Wagner Group The Wagner Group (), officially known as PMC Wagner (, ), is a Russian state-funded private military company (PMC) controlled 2023 Wagner Group plane crash, until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Pu ...
also supported the House of Representatives' forces.


Arms deal

In Summer 2020, Egypt received five
Su-35 The Sukhoi Su-35 (-35; NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M, occasionally nicknamed "Super Flanker") is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable, 4.5 ge ...
jets from Russia, despite a threat from the United States that it would violate international sanctions. However, the Russian journalist who revealed the transaction, Ivan Safronov, was detained for disclosing a state secret.


Russian Invasion of Ukraine and beyond

Egypt voted in favor of the United Nations resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calling for a withdrawal of Russia's forces from the country. However, President Sisi called President Putin on March 9 to clarify Egypt's vote and both countries said they would keep working together to develop their strategic partnership. Egypt has rejected economic sanctions against Russia. In fact, the country has encouraged the Mir payment system to stimulate Russian trade and tourism with Egypt. During the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit, Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has been serving as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. After the 2011 Egyptian revolution and 201 ...
urged Vladimir Putin to renew the grain deal and allow Ukraine to export grain via the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
route. In August 2023, a Russian drone attack on the port of Izmail in southern Ukraine destroyed 13,000 tons of grain destined for Egypt and Romania. On 23 August 2023, at the 15th BRICS summit, Russia along with the other members of
BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...
formally invited Egypt to join the organization. Egypt became a full member starting 1 January 2024. On 27 March 2025, a tragic event occurred when a tourist submarine operated by Sindbad Submarines sank near
Hurghada Hurghada (; ', ) is a coastal city that serves as the largest city and capital of the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. Hurghada has grown from a small fishing village to one of the largest resort destinations along the Red Sea coast, stretching c ...
, killing six Russian tourists and injuring 29 others. The submarine, carrying 45 Russian passengers and five Egyptian crew members, was on an underwater excursion to observe coral reefs when it sank. Despite the high number of casualties, the incident was swiftly managed by local rescue teams, and investigations were initiated to determine the cause. This event was part of a series of recent tourist-related accidents in the Red Sea region. The relationship between Egypt and Russia has been marked by Russian tourism's growing importance to Egypt's economy, with Russia ranking as one of the largest sources of tourists, particularly in resorts like Hurghada, a major destination for Russian nationals.


Tourism

Russians constitute the largest group of outsiders to visit Egypt, while Russia is popular with Egyptian tourists as well. Egypt is the most popular tourist destination for Russians traveling abroad—a basic vacation package including flight, hotel and meals can be purchased for as little as US$1,000. In August 2021, direct commercial flights between Russia and Egypt resumed for the first time since the Metrojet Flight 9268 bombing in 2015, which killed 224 people, most of whom were Russian tourists. A
Rossiya Airlines Rossiya Airlinesrossiya-airlines.com – About us
retrieved 2016-09-19
passenger plane landed in
Sharm El Sheikh Sharm El Sheikh (, , literally "bay of the Sheikh"), alternatively rendered Sharm el-Sheikh, Sharm el Sheikh, or Sharm El-Sheikh, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip alo ...
carrying 518 passengers, and was welcomed with a water cannon salute, roses and flags.


Higher education

In 2006, the
Egyptian Russian University The Egyptian Russian University (ERU) is located in Badr City, Cairo Governorate, Egypt. It was established in 2006. History An agreement on the establishment of ERU was reached during the visit of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Cair ...
was opened in Badr City,
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, offering training in pharmacy and engineering. Many of its students visit
Izhevsk Izhevsk or Ijevsk (, ; , or ) is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city in Russia, and the most populous in Udmurtia, with over 600,000 ...
, Russia, for additional classroom study and summer internships. Plans are under way to add a program in nuclear power engineering as well.


See also

*
Foreign relations of Egypt The Foreign relations of Egypt are the Egyptian government's external relations with the outside world. Egypt's foreign policy operates along a non-aligned level. Factors such as population size, historical events, military strength, diplomatic ...
*
Foreign relations of Russia The foreign relations of the Russian Federation is the policy arm of the Russian government, government of Russia which guides its interactions with other nations, their citizens, and foreign organizations. This article covers the foreign polic ...
* List of ambassadors of Russia to Egypt


References


Further reading

* Daigle, Craig A
"The Russians are going: Sadat, Nixon and the Soviet presence in Egypt"
''Middle East'' 8.1 (2004) * Dawisha, Karen. ''Soviet Foreign Policy Towards Egypt'' (1979) * Freedman, Robert O. Freedman, "Soviet Policy Toward Sadat'S Egypt: From the Death of Nasser to the Fall of General Sadek", '' Naval War College Review'' 26, no. 3 (1973), pp. 63–79 * Laqueur, Walter Z. The Struggle for the Middle East: The Soviet Union and the Middle East, 1958–68. Routledge, 2016.


External links

*
Embassy of Russia in Cairo
*
Consulate-General of Russia in Alexandria
* http://www.egyptrussia.com
"Moscow's Realignment with Cairo: A Look at Gorbachev's New Political Thinking", ''Cryptologic Quarterly'', Winter 1990, vol. 8, no. 4 (at the National Security Agency site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egypt-Russia relations
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
Bilateral relations of Russia Africa–Russia relations