SBU charges three collaborators for organizing Russias sham referendums in Luhansk

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has charged three collaborators in absentia for organizing Russia’s 2022 sham referendums in occupied Luhansk, escalating counterintelligence efforts to dismantle Moscow’s proxy governance structures. The suspects face accusations of facilitating both the illegal "referendum" on annexation and the subsequent Russian presidential "election" in the region, according to SBU statements released today .

The charges come as Ukrainian counterintelligence secures convictions against Russian operatives. A court in Kyiv sentenced two FSB agents to 15 years in prison on Tuesday for plotting a terrorist attack against Azov Brigade soldiers in Zaporizhzhia, based on SBU evidence. The agents, whose identities remain classified, were also ordered to forfeit their property .

Meanwhile, Russia’s FSB claims foreign intelligence services infiltrated the phones of Russian officials with spyware, monitoring conversations in a campaign it describes as "large-scale." The agency did not specify which countries were involved or provide evidence, but the allegation aligns with Moscow’s broader narrative of Western cyber aggression .

Ukrainian authorities continue to target internal corruption linked to the war effort. In Kharkiv, two military recruitment officials face suspicion for accepting a UAH 250,000 bribe to assign a conscript to rear-line duties, a case that underscores persistent vulnerabilities in mobilization systems .

The SBU’s focus on dismantling Russia’s electoral charades in occupied territories reflects Kyiv’s broader strategy to delegitimize Moscow’s claims of sovereignty over captured regions. Since 2022, Ukrainian courts have prosecuted dozens of collaborators for organizing or participating in the referendums, though most remain at large in Russian-held areas. The latest charges in Luhansk signal an intensifying legal campaign ahead of potential future elections Moscow may attempt to stage in occupied zones.