Angolan authorities accused them of setting up a network of propaganda and misinformation designed to stir unrest in the country.
In July the Standard reported details of a report by a French think-tank Viginum working with the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth and Development office and the European External Action Service which said that many questions arose about the future of PMC Wagner's digital influence activities on the African continent after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023.
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Following months of investigations by independent bodies working with agencies linked to European governments and civil society European think- tanks established that some of the activities that the Wagnar Group was running still continue, albeit in a different form.
"The activities are likely to be integrated into the Russian state's sphere of influence" Said the Viginum report from Public diplomacy to covert influence operations adding "This new system is centered around African Initiative, a Russian news agency based in Moscow created in September 2023 with the ambition of becoming the main "information bridge between Russia and Africa."
The news agency African Initiative works to disseminate and promote classic anti-Western and pro-Kremlin propaganda through its various channels (websites and social media accounts), in several languages, including French said the report. The agency which still operates in African countries including Ghana is led by individuals suspected of having ties with Russian intelligence services (RIS) suggesting that the structure is a front, unofficially administered by the RIS to disseminate propaganda.
The Angolan situation is a case study on the matter which has caused authorities take steps to stop Moscow's influence peddling in the country.
Angolan authorities accused the two Russians of setting up a network of propaganda and misinformation designed to stir unrest in the country, BBC monitoring reported.