Montenegro has charged 14 people — including two Russians and two Montenegrin opposition leaders — over their alleged involvement in an attempted coup in October 2016, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

The high court in the capital, Podgorica, said the 14 people were charged with “creating a criminal organization.”

The two Russians were also charged with “terrorism.”

Montenegrin authorities said the 14 accused attempted to take over parliament, assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, and install pro-Russian leaders to keep the country from joining NATO.

Montenegro received US approval to join NATO on Wednesday, but it still needs Spain to jump on board.

The two Russian operatives, Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were said to have orchestrated the attempted coup from Serbia. The Serbian government acknowledged that they were in Serbia and used encrypted phones but allowed them to return to Russia.

 

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Featured image courtesy of Reuters