ZAPU was formed in 1961, years after Stalin had died.

ZAPU, led by Joshua Nkomo, did not start as a Soviet-aligned movement. Initially, Nkomo spent much of the early 1960s lobbying Western capitals and the UN. However, as the Rhodesian Front moved toward UDI (Unilateral Declaration of Independence) in 1965, it became clear that the West would not support an armed struggle.

The USSR began its outreach through the AAPSO (Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organisation). ZAPU’s primary conduit to Moscow was actually through its close alliance with the ANC (South African Native National Congress) and the SACP (South African Communist Party).

By the late 1960s, the Soviet Union was providing heavy weaponry, including Strela missiles and armored vehicles, as well as intelligence training via the KGB. Moscow preferred ZAPU because it was seen as a more stable, "orthodox" Marxist-Leninist vanguard compared to the more radical ZANU.