Angola to try Russians over alleged disinformation plot

Two Russians are due to stand trial in Angola on charges of organising anti-government protests and conducting a disinformation campaign to influence next year’s presidential election, according to a  BBC report on 24 March.

Igor Ratchin, a political consultant, and Lev Lakshtanov, a translator, were arrested in August and face 11 charges including terrorism, espionage and influence peddling. Prosecutors allege the pair were involved in an operation aimed at influencing Angola’s political direction. 

Prosecutors said the defendants acted on behalf of Africa Politology, a network of operatives linked to the Wagner Group that has been active in several African countries. They said the group emerged from structures associated with the paramilitary organisation.

According to the indictment obtained by the BBC, the men paid local journalists and analysts more than $24,000 to publish content described as propaganda and disinformation, while Angolan state newspaper Jornal de Angola reported that prosecutors accused Russian nationals of espionage and terrorism. Authorities say the activity was intended to provoke political change and undermine trust in the government’s foreign policy.

Two Angolan nationals, journalist Amor Carlos Tomé and political activist Francisco Oliveira, will also stand trial. Prosecutors say they supported the operation by gathering political information and helping publish material. Their legal teams deny the allegations and say there is insufficient evidence. 

The indictment also alleges the defendants met political figures from both the ruling MPLA party and opposition Unita and offered campaign support. Lawyers for the accused say there is no evidence these meetings took place or that any support was provided. 

However, the document has also faced criticism with reports of errors and inconsistencies.

Prosecutors stated the operation began in October 2024, although one of the individuals named had been arrested in Chad weeks earlier and later returned to Moscow. Clarification was requested from Angolan prosecutors, but no response has been given.

They also link the case to protests in July 2025 that began as a taxi drivers’ strike in Luanda and later turned violent. Official figures show at least 29 people were killed and more than 1,200 arrested. Authorities allege the defendants helped organise the unrest, citing material found on their phones.

The defence rejected the allegations, saying the defendants had no links to Africa Politology or the Wagner Group and were not acting on behalf of the Russian state. Their lawyers also said there was no evidence the alleged political meetings took place or that any campaign support was offered.

They also rejected claims the protests were externally driven, saying they were caused by domestic conditions, a view echoed by some Angolan journalists and activists, amid broader concerns over living standards in the country.

BBC Africa, Jornal de Angola, Maghrebi.org