By Juan Camilo Escorcia | 2025-03-21

BOGOTA -- Colombia places little priority on relations with Russia and is unlikely to strengthen Bogota-Moscow ties in the coming years, according to a March 19 report by the political risk consultancy Colombia Risk Analysis.

"Despite recent shifts in Colombian foreign policy, Russia remains a marginal issue in the country's political discourse and a low priority in its international strategy," the report states.

Titled "Colombia-Russia Relations: Influence and Local Perceptions," it analyzes the limited influence and perception of Russia in Colombia.

The study, based on 33 interviews with "expert sources spanning the entire political spectrum in Colombia and worldwide," including current and former government officials, finds that Russia is largely viewed negatively within Colombia's political and diplomatic circles.

"Interviews conducted for this report reveal that experts, government officials, politicians and diplomats in Colombia mostly perceive Russia unfavorably, with many considering its influence marginal or even detrimental," one section states.

'Foreign intervention and espionage'

According to the study, this perception is driven by "suspicions of foreign intervention and espionage," particularly after Colombia expelled two Russian diplomats in 2020 for military espionage while they were assigned to the Russian embassy in Bogota.

In December 2020, the Colombian Foreign Ministry announced that "the national government decided to request the withdrawal of two Russian diplomats accredited in Colombia after verifying that they were engaged in activities incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the decision and expelled two Colombian diplomats from Moscow.

The Colombia Risk Analysis report acknowledges that "no official evidence is publicly available" regarding the alleged espionage. However, it notes that following the diplomats' expulsion, "concerns persist in Colombia about Russia's presence in the region, particularly in Venezuela."

The report highlights how tensions between Colombia and Russia escalated in early 2022 because of Moscow's increasing cooperation with the Venezuelan government. Specifically, Russia installed five radars along the Colombian-Venezuelan border, sparking fears in Bogota of potential espionage.

In response, then-President Ivan Duque stated in April 2022 that Colombia had "no relationship" with Russia, effectively freezing the two countries' ties -- though he stopped short of severing diplomatic relations.

Electoral interference

The Colombia Risk Analysis report links the distrust toward Russia among various Colombian sectors to its alleged interference in the country's 2022 presidential elections.

According to "local and international media reports," the Kremlin used certain social media accounts as Russian bots to favor specific candidates. However, officials at the Russian embassy in Colombia denied these claims.

The report further concludes, based on consulted sources, that "Colombia's trade relationship with Russia is modest, making it unlikely that Russia's interest in the country is driven by economic motives."

"It is unlikely that ties with Russia will strengthen significantly in the short term," the report states, contrasting Colombia's stance with that of Bolivia, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela, where closer relations with Moscow appear more probable.