Russian Consul General in Cape Town Slams Publication After Naval Drill Saga Criticism
- The Russian Embassy in South Africa has slammed a report written by the publication GroundUp about its naval exercises with South Africa
- The Will for Peace exercise came under fire for Iran’s involvement in the military drills
- The Embassy’s Consulate General alleged that the publication was funded by American and British interests, and netizens reacted
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.
Source: Twitter
CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE — Ruslan Golubovskiy, the Russian Consul General of the Russian Consulate in Cape Town, slammed publication GroundUp for an article in which it suggested that the relationship between South Africa, Russia, and Iran will bring perils to the country. This as the naval exercise between the three countries has come into the spotlight for Iran’s involvement.
The Russian Embassy posted Golubovskiy’s response to the article on its @EmbassyofRussia X account. Golubovskiy accused GroundUp of making misleading conclusions about the perils that could arise from Russia’s relationship with South Africa.
Russian Consul General slams publication
Golubovskiy alleged that GroundUp received almost R3 million from The Sigrid Rausing Trust, which donated over R2 million each year for the past three years.
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Golubovskiy slammed GroundUp for suggesting that South Africa should develop stronger trade partnerships with Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
“The highly esteemed NGO does not want to mention to the public that the very reason for that at the moment is not the absence of willingness or ability from Moscow to develop economic ties with South Africa as well as other nations, but the determination of the West to remain at the centre of the unipolar world order while imposing sanctions on everyone else daring to disagree,” he said.
Golubovskiy was referring to the tariffs United States President Donald Trump imposed on countries in late 2024. South Africa was hit with 30% tariffs.
Read the full statement on X here:
A look at the Will for Peace exercise
The Will for Peace naval drills, which began on 9 January and concluded on 16 January 2026, have come under fire after the United States slammed the participation of Iran in the exercises. Defence Minister Dr. Angie Motshekga ordered a probe into Iran’s involvement after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s orders to halt Iran’s participation were not heeded.
Source: Twitter
South Africans express support
Netizens commenting on the post applauded Golubovskiy’s sharp response to GroundUp.
AngyPangy I use Arch BTW said:
“I’m South African, and I support this naval exercise. I was in Simonstown and saw this.”
Mungona wa Lukungulu-Bwe Dzimba-Bwe said:
“Thank you, Russia. You are good friends. We prefer you more than America and the EU.”
Truth Team said:
“Spot on opinion. They are not speaking for South Africans.”
Land Simulators said:
“Thank you, Russia, for your visit. South Africa is your home.”
The Scallywag said:
“If the Strait of Hormuz is closed, we need the Russian navy off the coast of South Africa to deter Western ships from coming past our shores.”
Cyril Ramaphosa confirms naval drill inquiry
In a related article, Briefly News reported that Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that a board of inquiry has been established to probe Iran’s involvement in the naval drills. This was despite Ramaphosa’s orders for Iran to be an observer, which were seemingly ignored.
Ramaphosa said on 21 January that China was in charge of the invites, but Iran’s participation was raised with China. He added that the board would be allowed time to investigate the allegations.
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Source: Briefly News
