Russian State Duma deputy is suspected of working in occupied Kherson region

A Russian politician and State Duma deputy was served in absentia with a notice of suspicion of collaboration and justification of armed aggression against Ukraine.

According to the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, the case concerns Leonid Slutsky, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, State Duma deputy and head of the parliamentary faction, who is under sanctions from the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, in 2023, in preparation for the so-called elections in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region, the suspect personally organized the creation of political branches of the party and formed a vertical of influence.

He approved lists of candidates for illegal authorities, including the so-called regional duma and occupation councils. At the same time, he conducted active propaganda activities - he spoke to the population and recorded video messages in which he justified the occupation and promoted Russia's narratives.

In his speeches, the politician claimed that local residents allegedly supported the occupation authorities, talked about the use of the region's resources, and even raised the topic of perpetuating the memory of collaborators.

The recordings of these speeches were distributed through the party's resources and platforms controlled by the occupation administration.

The pre-trial investigation in the case is being conducted by the SBU in Kherson region.

As a reminder, the court recently found a resident of Kherson region guilty of collaboration and sentenced her to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Earlier, Intent wrote that the occupation "director" of the Askania-Nova reserve was sentenced to 15 years for the export of rare animals. In Ukraine, this is the first sentence for a war crime against a nature reserve during a full-scale war.

As a reminder, Volodymyr Saldo, who has already been convicted of high treason, was served with a new suspicion. Along with him, 11 other people associated with the activities of the illegal armed group in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region were also suspected.

In addition, on March 20, 2026, the Office of the Prosecutor General sent an indictment to court against Volodymyr Saldo, one of the key collaborators in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region.

Андрій Колісніченко