President Patrick Herminie has addressed allegations that Seychelles recently received firearms from Russia following his state visit to the country.
He clarified the matter during a two-hour live press conference on Thursday 7 May, which aired on national television and social media platforms.
President Herminie said the Seychelles military faced weaknesses, particularly in relation to ammunition and defence capacity.
“On the question of firearms, this also is another problem,” he said. “Our army on land has a lot of weaknesses and ammunition itself was a problem.”
He added that the government considered it necessary to acquire new firearms to strengthen the country’s ability to respond to potential security threats.
“It was necessary that we get new firearms,” President Herminie said. “And it’s not a lot of firearms like they are saying. But we are looking for firearms to defend Seychelles.”
The president referred to the attempted coup in Seychelles in 1981 involving foreign mercenaries. He said the country needed to be prepared to defend itself in the future.
“The geopolitical realities are changing,” he said. “Today Maldives is saying part of Mauritius is theirs, Chagos. You don’t know what can happen tomorrow. You don’t know who might come and reclaim part of Seychelles. And we need to be in a position to defend our country.”
President Herminie said this was the reason the government accepted the firearms.
President Herminie travelled to Russia on an official working visit on 19 April 2026. The visit marked 50 years of diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Russia.
According to the presidency, discussions during the visit focused on tourism, investment and transport connectivity. The president also visited the Kremlin and the National Space Centre during his stay.