The men were convicted over alleged plan to stage coup and organise deadly demonstrations over fuel prices last year Two Russian men have been found guilty by an Angolan court of t…

The men were convicted over alleged plan to stage coup and organise deadly demonstrations over fuel prices last year Two Russian men have been found guilty by an Angolan court of terrorism and spying, after being accused of planning a coup and helping to organise deadly demonstrations in the southern African country last year. Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Ratchin were sentenced to eight and 11 years in jail respectively. They had denied the charges, claiming they were in Angola for cultural and business activities. From 28-30 July 2025, a minibus taxi strike over fuel price hikes descended into riots and looting, in which 22 people were killed and more than 1,600 arrested according to official figures. Angola’s security forces were accused of firing live ammunition at protesters; the government said its “progressive” use of force was justified. Human Rights Watch had previously said Angola used “excessive force” when it used rubber bullets and teargas to break up a peaceful protest against rising fuel prices on 12 July 2025. Angolan prosecutors said Lakshtanov and Ratchin wanted to influence next year’s presidential elections, including by funding Angola’s largest opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), or by forcing a leadership change within the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has ruled the country since independence from Portugal in 1975. Prosecutors also claimed the men were linked to Africa Politology, a Russian disinformation and propaganda network that emerged from the Wagner mercenary group. Africa Politology was taken over by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) after the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, according to an investigation by media outlets including Forbidden Stories. Wagner was rebranded as Africa Corps and absorbed by Russia’s military.