Two Russians handed down jail terms for terrorism and spying in Angola

According to Angola's privately owned news site Novo Jornal, the Russians told the court during previous hearings they had held private meetings with political figures from both the ruling MPLA and opposition Unita parties, but denied that the meetings were connected to any illegal activity.It reported that the court had rejected a defence request to call several of those politicians as witnesses, ruling that their testimony was "not necessary" for establishing the facts of the case.Prosecutors alleged that the defendants played a role in organising deadly Angola-in-2025" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169574" data-entity-type="event">unrest in Angola in 2025. They alleged the Russians paid local journalists and experts more than $24,000 (£18,000) to spread pro-Russian and anti-government content aimed at provoking Angola" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="169576" data-entity-type="topic">political change in Angola.They also cited publications linked to the operation, notes and photographs related to the 2025 protests found on the defendants' devices, as well as alleged contacts with senior Angolan political figures.Many Angolan activists strongly disagree with the prosecution's argument that the protests did not happen organically.Novo Jornal previously reported that Lakshtanov told the court during one of the hearings that he had lived and worked in Angola for nearly four decades and that his long academic career was incompatible with participation in terrorist organisations.Earlier Ratchin had explained to the court that he was a businessman who had come to Angola to establish a Russian cultural centre and that payments he made to various individuals were compensation for services rendered, Novo Jornal reported.