Is Tanzania helping Russia? What the money flows show
Tanzania's support for Ukraine since 2022: −€6m (<0.01% of one year's GDP: its aid, refugee hosting, private donations and its other parts of support, net of money flowing back). Russia kept €816m (1.1% of GDP) more than without the war, mostly Russian crude in fuel bought from refiners elsewhere (€566m of €816m). The net is 1.1% of a year's GDP toward Russia (likely 0.63% to 1.6% toward Russia; very likely · >99%).
likely 0.63% to 1.6% toward Russia · €821m · ≈ 0.24%/yr
Bought less from Ukraine than without the war + raised Russia's earnings from trade = 1.1% of GDP toward Russia. Mostly toward Russia (mostly Russian crude in fuel bought from refiners elsewhere).
Chance toward Russia: >99%; 100% of the other method choices agree.
Support for Ukraine
Bought less from Ukraine than without the war; below zero by
<0.01%
€6m
likely from 0.05% below zero to <0.01% above zero essentially zero
Russia's earnings from trade
Raised Russia's earnings from trade by
1.1%
€816m
likely 0.62% to 1.6% toward Russia very likely · >99%
Russia kept €816m (1.1% of GDP) more than without the war, mostly Russian crude in fuel bought from refiners elsewhere (€566m of €816m).
Russia's gain: Russia kept 1.1% of GDP more (€813m; likely 0.62% to 1.6% toward Russia)
Tanzania's own gain from trade with Russia: Tanzania kept <0.01% of GDP more from its trade with Russia (€2m; likely from 0.02% toward Russia to <0.01% toward Ukraine)
The two lines add up to Russia's earnings from trade; their ranges do not.
Its story in short
Mostly from fuel buying Orange here is mostly fuel buying, not siding with Russia. Most of this is fuel and food bought from Russia. Fuel is fungible and sold through many traders: the figure reflects what this economy bought, not a policy toward Russia or Ukraine.
What makes up the number
Bought less from Ukraine than without the war; below zero by <0.01% · €6m
Ukraine kept less from sales hereC
−<0.01%
€6m
Raised Russia's earnings from trade by 1.1% · €816m
Russia kept more from its oil bought via other countriesC
−0.78%
€566m
Russia kept more from fuel and goods sold hereC
−0.28%
€205m
Russia kept more from war-time fuel pricesC
−0.06%
€42m
Tanzania kept more from selling to RussiaC
−<0.01%
€1m
Tanzania kept more from services sold to RussiaC
−<0.01%
€1m
Russia kept more from services sold hereC
−<0.01%
€1m
+ toward Ukraine, − toward Russia (in support for Ukraine, − is money it earned back or bought less from Ukraine than without the war). Letters: A reported, B measured estimate, C modelled estimate, D rough indication.
By year
The year with the largest net amount was 2023: −€0.31bn.
It bought €0.12bn from Russia in 2021 and €0.24bn in 2025 (+100%). It sold €6m to Russia in 2021 and €61m in 2025. For Tanzania: €42m paid above no-war prices, most of it in 2022, 71% of it on gas contracts. These are sales values at each year's prices; the totals count what the seller kept on them.
What it bought from Russia, by fuel
Tanzania's purchases from Russia, 2022 to August 2026, by fuel: by its own customs records (CIF), on the map's basis (the Russian border price, FOB) and by CREA's tracker (ship data). The map's figure is the total on the map's basis.
Fuel
Customs (CIF)
Map basis (FOB)
Tracker (CREA)
Quality
Oil products
no customs record
€0.20bnrange €0.12bn to €0.31bn
€78m
D (estimate)
Coal
no customs record
€5mrange €4m to €8m
€6m
C (estimate)
Other goods
–
€1.00bn
–
All goods
–
€1.2bn
–
Quality by year: 2022: C, 2023: C, 2024: C, 2025: D, 2026, January to August: C. C and D are estimates.
We found no sanctions of Tanzania's own against Russia (checked 27 October 2026). This says nothing about whether firms there follow other countries' sanctions. Russia's list of “unfriendly” states does not name Tanzania. Checked 27 October 2026.
20 sources back its parts: 5 official statistics, 1 research reports, 0 press reports and 2 of this project's own estimates, plus 12 method inputs. By size, 0% of its parts are reported or measured (A–B), 100% modelled (C) and 0% rough indications (D).
Data coverage
Aid to Ukraine: estimated no record found: 0, with a small upper bound
Private donations: estimated national totals or a GDP-based estimate
Services trade with Russia: estimated Eurostat, OECD-WTO and Bank of Russia data
Refugee hosting: reported no refugees from Ukraine recorded
Bought from Russia: reported reported 2021-2025
Sold to Russia: estimated partner data plus an estimate of goods reaching Russia via third countries
Bought from Ukraine: reported reported 2021-2025
Sold to Ukraine: reported reported 2021-2025
Energy switching cost: estimated modelled per fuel and month
Company taxes in Russia: estimated allocated by company counts and investment
Sources, by part
Russia kept more from its oil bought via other countries C
In money terms the net is −1.1% of one year's GDP (likely 0.63% to 1.6% toward Russia; very likely · >99%). Chance toward Russia: >99%; 100% of the other method choices agree. Russia kept €816m (1.1% of GDP) more than without the war, mostly Russian crude in fuel bought from refiners elsewhere (€566m of €816m). Most of this is fuel and food bought from Russia. Fuel is fungible and sold through many traders: the figure reflects what this economy bought, not a policy toward Russia or Ukraine. The number counts money: weapons at their money value; votes, diplomacy and intent are not in it.
Does Tanzania trade with Russia?
It bought €0.24bn from Russia in 2025 (€0.12bn in 2021), and sold €61m to Russia. What counts here is the change in what Russia kept from that trade (taxes and profit, not sales) against a world without the war: Russia kept €816m (1.1% of GDP) more than without the war, mostly Russian crude in fuel bought from refiners elsewhere (€566m of €816m).
How does Tanzania compare with its neighbours?
The net as a share of one year's GDP: Rwanda +0.55%, Burundi +0.29%, Malawi −0.02%, Zambia −0.05%, Uganda −0.07%, DR Congo −0.09%, Kenya −0.31%, Mozambique −0.85%, Tanzania −1.1%. In the map's ranking: number 13 of 32 economies toward Russia, as a share of GDP.
We found no sanctions of Tanzania's own against Russia (checked 27 October 2026). This says nothing about whether firms there follow other countries' sanctions. Russia's list of “unfriendly” states does not name Tanzania.