Angola sentences Russian operatives over election meddling, economic sabotage

Two Russians arrested in Angola following protests that triggered riots a year ago have been sentenced to eight and 11 years in prison for offences including espionage and terrorism, a lawyer in the so-called ‘Russian case’ in Luanda said on July 22.

A wave of social unrest, sparked by a taxi drivers’ strike over rising fuel prices, escalated into three days of rioting and looting between 28 and 30 July 2025, leaving 22 people dead, according to Angola’s interior ministry.

At the time, police reported 30 deaths, including a police officer, as well as 200 injured and 1,200 arrested.

In its closing arguments earlier this month, the prosecution accused the defendants of plotting to destabilise Angola by “preparing a coup d’état” and seeking to “seize national economic assets”.

Also prosecuted in the case, Carlos Tomé, a sports journalist for Angolan state television (TPA), received a two-year suspended sentence, while Francisco de Oliveira, secretary general of the youth wing of the main opposition party, Unita, was acquitted.

“The public prosecution service considered that it could not accept this court decision and filed an appeal with suspensive effect,” David Guz, lawyer for the two Angolans, said in a statement obtained by AFP.

During the proceedings, the two Russian nationals, Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Ratchin, sentenced to eight and 11 years in prison respectively, denied any links to terrorist organisations. They maintained that their activities in Angola were limited to cultural and commercial initiatives.

Earlier testimony also revealed that they had held numerous meetings with political figures from both the ruling party and the opposition.

‘Network serving Russian influence’

A joint investigation by the collective All Eyes on Wagner (named after the former Russian paramilitary group) and French news outlet RFI shortly after their arrest in August 2025 reported that Angolan authorities considered them members of Africa Politology, a “shadowy Russian network combining consultants, influence operators, lobbyists, lawyers and country experts offering political advisory services to advance Russian influence”.

During its closing arguments, the Angolan prosecution alleged that the Russian defendants intended to provide financial support to the opposition Unita party ahead of the 2027 general election.

The Russian embassy did not respond to requests for comment from AFP.

Tightly contested 2027 elections

In the last elections in 2022, the long-ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was declared winner with 51.17% of the vote. This was its lowest score on record, following the closest election in the party’s history.

The main opposition party, Unita, which officially secured 43.95% of the vote, challenged the official results without success.

Backed by the Soviet Union during the war of independence and subsequent Angolan civil war, the MPLA has pivoted towards the West since João Lourenço came to power in 2017. This shift was underscored by former US president Joe Biden’s visit to Luanda in 2024.

During the trip, the former president pledged a $550m loan to modernise the Lobito Corridor railway line, a strategic mineral transport axis connecting Angola’s Atlantic coast to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. The loan has since been approved by Donald Trump’s administration.

Europe remains the project’s primary backer through the European Union, member states, the European Investment Bank and the private sector, committing $2.34b in funding.