ANALYSIS | Russia's growing influence in Africa: Angola and Chad in the spotlight

Russia's influence in Africa is growing, with recent activities in Angola and Chad demonstrating a more sophisticated evolution of Moscow’s strategies.

After orchestrating military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the Kremlin's intelligence services have now set their sights on Angola and Chad, using discreet but aggressive methods to expand Russia's geopolitical reach, according to an investigation published by the Spanish newspaper La Razón.

Activity in Angola

InIn Angola, on August 7, 2025, two Russian nationals were detained in the capital, Luanda, following violent protests triggered by fuel price increases. The individuals, identified as Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Racthin, face charges including criminal association, document forgery, terrorism, and financing of terrorism.

Authorities allege the two organized a disinformation and propaganda network to fuel the protests. Lakshtanov, 64, is the founder of Farol, an NGO connected to Russian cultural diplomacy through Rossotrudnichestvo, the official cultural cooperation agency established by former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. According to La Razón, the organization had planned to open a branch in Luanda this year.

After entering Angola on tourist visas, Lakshtanov and Racthin settled in the Gamek neighborhood and posed as journalists. They approached Buka Tanda, a young Russian-speaking leader of UNITA, the main opposition party, under the pretext of filming a documentary and opening a cultural center. Tanda introduced them to his cousin, a journalist with Angolan public television. The pair conducted paid interviews with political figures and carried out a survey on perceptions of Russia in Angola before being arrested for their alleged role in the protests.

Activity in Chad

A similar case occurred in Chad in September 2024, when three Russians and a Belarusian were arrested in N’Djamena by the country’s intelligence services. Among them were Maksim Shugaley and Samir Seyfan, key operatives in the Russian paramilitary group Wagner’s influence operations in Africa. The group posed as investors, rented a building, engaged local politicians, and began establishing a network of Russian-speaking Chadians.

The other two detainees, who posed as journalists, offered funding and training to local Chadians but asked them to publish pro-Russian articles in exchange for money. They were arrested during the inauguration of a Russian cultural center organized on behalf of Rossotrudnichestvo.

More discreet, but more active operations

According to Lou Osborn, from the All Eyes on Wagner collective, these cases show that Russia’s strategies in Africa have become more discreet yet more active. "They are broadening and becoming more professional," he added, according to La Razón.

These tactics are backed by the African Initiative, which employs a more structured and professional approach to influence operations. It also involves the deployment of Africa Corp, an entity that unites Wagner’s former military structures—now under Kremlin control—with private actors and political consultants tied to Russian intelligence, collectively known as Africa Politology.