Russia has declared that it is closely watching Nigeria following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat to order military action in the West African country.
The statement came from the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, during a press briefing in Moscow on Friday.
She said Moscow was “closely monitoring the situation” after Trump announced that he had directed the Pentagon to prepare “military options” for Nigeria.
Trump claimed his move was to protect Christian communities from what he described as a wave of genocidal attacks by radical Islamist groups.
Zakharova warned that Washington must act responsibly and respect international law. “We are closely monitoring this issue and call on all parties involved to strictly comply with international legal norms,” she said.
Her statement was in response to a question from Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, which asked about Moscow’s position on Trump’s controversial remarks.
Trump had made the comments on November 1, declaring that the United States “cannot stand by while thousands of Christians are being killed.”
It could be recalled that Trump posted on his Truth Social that Nigeria was facing an “existential threat” due to ongoing terrorist violence.
He vowed that his administration would be “ready, willing, and able to protect our great Christian population around the world.”
Trump also instructed several U.S. lawmakers, including Congressman Barry Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, to investigate the killings and report back to him.
His comments sparked intense global reactions.
Religious leaders in Nigeria, including the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), backed his claims of Christian persecution but urged cooperation rather than confrontation.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government rejected Trump’s allegations, with President Bola Tinubu insisting that Nigeria protects freedom of religion and the rights of all faiths.
In recent months, renewed attacks on Christian villages in Plateau, Benue, and Kaduna States have reignited global concern about religious violence in Nigeria.
Western analysts warn that Trump’s military threat could escalate diplomatic tensions between Washington, Abuja, and now Moscow.
Russia’s decision to monitor the situation highlights the growing international dimension of Nigeria’s security crisis one that now involves the world’s top military powers.
