A newly uncovered trove of leaked emails has exposed a covert Kremlin-backed legal aid operation functioning inside Ukraine, revealing how Russia appears to have systematically funneled money, directives, and influence into Ukrainian territory under the guise of “legal support.” The findings underscore how Moscow continues to weaponize soft power, pseudo-legal structures, and diaspora politics to destabilize Ukraine from within during wartime – and how gaps in Ukraine’s sanctions enforcement may have allowed this shadow network to persist longer than expected.

The information comes from tens of thousands of leaked emails and documents obtained by Denmark’s public broadcaster, DR, and shared with OCCRP and the Ukrainian investigative project Schemes. The documents provide a remarkably granular view into the internal workings of the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad – better known as “Pravfond” – a Kremlin-linked organization long suspected of operating as a hybrid influence arm with ties to Russian intelligence.

Pravfond’s stated mission is to provide legal aid to Russian-speaking populations abroad. According to Russian officials, the foundation exists to “protect compatriots” – a term the Kremlin frequently uses to justify foreign influence operations, soft-power penetration, and claims of extraterritorial responsibility. But past investigations, including OCCRP’s Dear Compatriots project, have already shown that Pravfond is more than a benevolent charity: it bankrolls the legal defense of suspected spies, supports Kremlin-aligned propaganda networks, and coordinates closely with Russian diplomatic and intelligence structures.

The new leak goes even further. It reveals, for the first time, that Pravfond was running a structured project inside Ukraine – labelled “Ukrainian Direction” – that was supervised directly from Moscow and involved a network of Ukrainian lawyers who allegedly........

© Blitz