In Putin's second video contribution to the BRICS summit, his big focus was on Africa, going back to his mantra that Russia helps Africa's neediest countries, while the West merely pumps resources out of them in some kind of modern form of revamped colonialism.

He reminded his audience of Russia's offer of 25-50,000 tonnes of free grain supplies to six African nations, including Mali, Zimbabwe and Central African Republic.

It's all part of a bid to prop up Russian ambitions on the continent, when the war in Ukraine is pushing African leaders away.

Only 17 African heads of state took part in last month's Russia-Africa summit, down from 43 only four years before.

But another key element of Putin's Africa policy is the thousands of Wagner mercenaries embedded in a number of African states.

Wagner is widely accused of plundering those countries for their mineral wealth, so it is a bit rich to complain of Western colonialism.