GOLDEN REPOSTS AND A RED COAT FOR KUSHELEVA: CHRONICLE OF AN "INFORMATION FRONT" EMBEZZLEMENT IN LUHANSK

While the nation fundraises for military drones, the Luhansk Regional Military Administration came up with its own "information courier" delivery system: postal parcels packed with stacks of cash. A Dialogue Party investigation into a 3.2 million UAH public contract awarded to flood anonymous Telegram channels under the guise of strategic communications—80% of which bounced back to regional officials as cash kickbacks stashed inside a folded red coat.

Rigged Transparency: The Prozorro Bid-Rigging Scheme

In March 2026, the Department of Information Policy (later reorganized as the Department of Mass Communications) of the Luhansk Regional State Administration (Luhansk OVA) published tender notice UA-2026-03-13-012479-a (CPV code 79340000-9 — Advertising and marketing services: Coverage of Luhansk Regional Administration activities) with an estimated value of 3,210,900.00 UAH.

Court filings in criminal proceeding No. 42026130000000016, led by the Investigation Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, reveal that competition was staged from the outset:

• The Designated Stooge: Department Director Albina Kusheleva directly involved the non-governmental organization "Vilnyi Skhid" (EDRPOU code 44726298) as a technical straw bidder.
• Price Freeze Order: The NGO’s representative was explicitly instructed not to lower its bid during the electronic auction, eliminating competitive bidding.
• Pre-Selected Winner: Sole proprietor FOP Smetankin O.A. was awarded the contract at the full ceiling price of 3,210,900.00 UAH, yielding zero budget savings. The parties formally signed Contract No. 7 on April 3, 2026.

The 1,155 UAH Per-Click Tariff: Buying Anonymous Telegram Reach

State Treasury records and official confirmations from the Luhansk OVA set the baseline service tariff at a flat 1,155.00 UAH (VAT exempt) per single media placement. The overall contract volume was calibrated to cover approximately 2,367 publications.

Independent monitoring and cryptographic preservation (evidence package evidence_RAW.zip), conducted in analytical collaboration with the investigative news outlet ZARAZ.INFO, identified and logged 458 verified publications covering the regional leadership:

• 92 news stories (20.1%) ran in the general news feed of regional outlet sd.ua.
• 366 entries (79.9%) were short updates, photosets, and cross-posts published on anonymous Telegram channel t.me/surovyi_severodonetsk.
• Mandatory Disclosure Labels: 0%. Not a single post displayed "Advertisement," "Paid Content," or "Sponsored by Luhansk OVA" tags, directly violating Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising."

The real financial value of these 458 captured placements amounts to 528,990 UAH. The remaining ~1,900 publications—costing over 2.2 million UAH—existed solely on signing-off acceptance sheets prepared for Treasury disbursement.

The 80/20 Kickback: Physical Cash in Postal Parcels

SBU investigators mapped out the cash conversion scheme step by step:

1. On April 3, 2026, main contractor Smetankin signed a subcontract for 455,700 UAH with a designated micro-entrepreneur.
2. The subcontractor withdrew the received state funds as physical cash.
3. The subcontractor retained 20% to cover single-tax liabilities and transaction fees.
4. The remaining 80% in cash was packed into parcels and routed to Dnipro via private carrier Nova Poshta (disguised as regular parcel freight rather than financial remittances), addressed to the Deputy Department Director, who handed the money directly to Albina Kusheleva.

Detectives documented two specific cash handoffs:

• July 2026 (Act No. 5): Following a 105,245 UAH payout, the subcontractor retained 21,049 UAH and mailed 76,800 UAH in cash from Kropyvnytskyi (Branch No. 11).
• September 2026 (Act No. 6): Following an 86,800 UAH billing, the subcontractor retained 17,360 UAH, wrapped 63,000 UAH in 1,000 UAH banknotes inside a folded red woman’s coat, and dispatched it under tracking waybill 59 0017 5953 8245 from Svalyava, Zakarpattia Oblast.

On September 3, 2026, at approximately 20:00, SBU operatives caught the Deputy Department Director red-handed at Nova Poshta Branch No. 20 in Dnipro upon receiving the parcel containing the cash-stuffed red coat.

Treasury Ledger and the Frozen Final Tranche

Seven payment vouchers were registered under Budget Code 2240 for Contract No. 7:

The final payment voucher No. 226 for 388,080.00 UAH dated October 9, 2026, was halted by the State Treasury following bank account freezes and evidentiary seizures executed by the SBU.

Judicial Proceedings: Confessions, Asset Seizures, and Bail

On September 4, 2026, Albina Kusheleva and her deputy were formally charged under Part 4, Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Misappropriation, embezzlement, or seizure of property through abuse of office, committed by an organized group under martial law), which carries 5 to 8 years' imprisonment. The subcontractor was charged with aiding and abetting (Part 5, Art. 27; Part 4, Art. 191).

The defendants' procedural strategies diverged:

• The Deputy Department Director entered a full confession, cooperated with investigators, and provided detailed testimony detailing the kickback mechanism and the physical transfer of banknotes to his superior. The court suspended him from office on September 8, 2026, and he posted a court-ordered bail of 199,680 UAH.
• Albina Kusheleva denied all wrongdoing. A search of her residence yielded 10,000 euros, 3,170 US dollars, and 114,000 UAH in cash—including 40,000 UAH matching marked banknotes recorded during surveillance operations. The Sobornyi District Court of Dnipro ordered her detained on remand with an alternative bail of 266,240 UAH, which she posted immediately to secure release.

Regional Administration Cites Investigative Secrecy to Conceal Contracts

In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) inquiry filed by Dialogue Party seeking copies of Contract No. 7, delivery acts, performance logs, and advertising compliance records, acting Department Director Roman Mamedov issued an official refusal.

The agency cited Article 222 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine (non-disclosure of pre-trial investigative data), conceding that the requested public records "directly reflect the circumstances of a criminal offense and have been seized as material evidence."

This legal ground directly breaches Part 5, Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine "On Access to Public Information," which establishes that access to records detailing the expenditure of public budget funds and government contracts cannot be restricted under any circumstances, including pending criminal probes.

The investigative dossier and cryptographically logged evidence are being forwarded to statutory oversight authorities and independent anti-corruption watchdog bodies.