An Angolan court found two Russian citizens guilty of terrorism and espionage, accusing them of planning a coup and aiding in the organization of riots with human casualties in Angola last year.
Lev Lakshtanov was sentenced to eight years in prison, while Igor Ratchin received eleven years. Both denied the charges, claiming they were in Angola for cultural and business purposes.
From July 28 to 30, 2025, a strike by minibus taxi drivers over fuel price hikes escalated into riots and looting, resulting in 22 deaths and the arrest of over 1,600 people, according to official data.
Angola’s security forces were accused of using live ammunition against protesters; the government stated that its «progressive» use of force was justified. Earlier, Human Rights Watch noted that Angola used «excessive force», deploying rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a peaceful protest against rising fuel prices on July 12, 2025.
Links to Russian networks and influence on elections
Angolan prosecutors stated that Lakshtanov and Ratchin sought to influence next year’s presidential elections, including by financing Angola’s largest opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), or by forcibly changing leadership in the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has governed the country since independence from Portugal in 1975.
Prosecutors also claimed that the men were linked to Africa Politology, a Russian disinformation and propaganda network that emerged from the mercenary group «Wagner».
According to media investigations, including by Forbidden Stories, Africa Politology came under the control of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) after the death of «Wagner» leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023. The «Wagner» group was renamed Africa Corps and then integrated into the Russian armed forces.
Historical ties and increased Russian presence in Africa
Angola, whose economy heavily depends on oil exports, has historically had close ties with Russia. During the Cold War, in the years of the Angolan civil war from 1975–2002, the Soviet Union and Cuba supported the MPLA, while the USA and apartheid South Africa backed its opponents, including UNITA.
However, Angolan President João Lourenço has improved relations with the USA and Europe since coming to power in 2017.
Over the past decade, Russia has strengthened its presence in Africa. The «Wagner» group, and later Africa Corps, have provided security for Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra since 2017. In 2021, «Wagner» forces arrived in Mali to support the military junta. Africa Corps also supports military regimes in neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso.
Since 2023, Russian troops have also been deployed in Equatorial Guinea, Libya, and Sudan, according to a US Congress report.
Madagascar President Michael Randrianirina has also strengthened ties with Russia after coming to power in a coup in October 2025. His presidential guard includes Russians, and a weekly program on relations between Madagascar and Russia was launched on national television earlier this month.
Alongside the Russians, two Angolans were also tried. Sports journalist Carlos Tomé received a two-year suspended sentence. Francisco de Oliveira, general secretary of UNITA’s youth wing, was acquitted.
Prosecutors appealed these verdicts, according to the Portuguese news agency Lusa. Lakshtanov and Ratchin also filed appeals but will remain in custody until their appeals are completed, Lusa reported. The Russian Embassy in Angola did not immediately comment.
