A court in Angola's capital Luanda has found two Russian nationals guilty of terrorism and espionage. Political consultant Igor Ratchin was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while translator Lev Lakshtanov received an eight-year term. Both had denied the charges.
They were arrested in August last year on accusations of stirring up anti-government protests, conducting a disinformation campaign, and attempting to interfere in next year's presidential election. Their lawyers had requested extradition to Russia, but it is unclear whether the court approved this.
According to the indictment, the two were involved in a political influence operation linked to Africa Politology, which Angolan authorities described as a Russian political network emerging from the now-defunct Wagner mercenary group. Prosecutors alleged they sought to spread anti-Western narratives and influence Angolan politics ahead of the elections.
The defendants denied any connection to Wagner or the Russian state, claiming they were working on plans to establish a Russian cultural center in Luanda. However, the court found them guilty on four of 11 charges: criminal association, espionage, terrorism, and illegal retention of currency.
Two Angolans—sports journalist Amor Carlos Tomé and political activist Francisco Oliveira—were also tried on similar charges. Tomé received a two-year suspended sentence, and Oliveira was acquitted. Prosecutors immediately appealed the verdict.
Prosecutors alleged the defendants played a role in organizing deadly unrest in Angola in 2025, paying local journalists and experts over $24,000 to spread pro-Russian and anti-government content. However, many Angolan activists strongly disagree that the protests were not organic.
The trial was marked by controversy from the start, with the prosecutor refusing to read the indictment aloud in court. The defense criticized the document for relying on assumptions rather than concrete evidence. The BBC identified several misspellings and factual errors in the indictment.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk