High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Russia–Zimbabwe relations (Russian: Российско-зимбабвийские отношения) date back to January 1979, during the Rhodesian Bush War. The Soviet Union supported Joshua Nkomo`s Zimbabwe African People`s Union, and supplied them with arms; Robert Mugabe`s attempts to gain Soviet support for his Zimbabwe African National Union were rebuffed, leading him to enter into relations with Soviet rival Beijing. After the end of the white regime in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe had strengthened his relations with both Beijing and Moscow as a result of intense western pressure on him. The USSR soon established diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe on February 18, 1981 and Russia still maintains an embassy in Harare. Both Russia and China still maintain strong economic and political ties with Zimbabwe and both countries had vetoed the UN resolution imposing UN sanctions on Zimbabwe which was proposed by both the US and the UK on July 12, 2008.