The Supreme Court of the Lugansk People’s Republic has sentenced a Stanichno-Lugansky district resident to ten years for espionage, the court’s press service reported.
“The case against a native of Kherson was investigated by the regional department of the Federal Security Service. He was found guilty of gathering intelligence for a foreign security service for use against national security,” the report said.
An agent of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), contacted citizen D who lived in Petrovka at the time on social media. The SBU agent offered him “secret collaboration to fulfil assignments aimed against the security of the Lugansk People’s Republic,” such as gathering of intelligence on the location of LPR militia units and their equipment.
“Relying on his political views, citizen D agreed to gather and pass sensitive information to the foreign secret service. The man will serve the sentence in a maximum security penitentiary,” the press service said.
The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. The peace talks failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation on February 24, 2022 to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance.
The Lugansk People’s Republic acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum. *i*ie