Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has taken its fight against imaginary enemies to the next level by officially designating the fictional “Belgorod People's Republic” (BNR) as a terrorist organization. Yes, that’s right—the agency is deadly serious about a state that doesn’t exist.

This peculiar tale began in April 2022 when Ukrainian blogger and activist Serhiy Sternenko jokingly claimed that residents of Belgorod, a Russian city near the Ukrainian border, would hold a referendum on “self-determination.”

The term “Belgorod People's Republic” was born, parodying the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk "People's Republics" — separatist quasi-states propped up by Moscow since 2014. What started as a lighthearted jest quickly snowballed into an internet meme, earning a page of its own on Wikipedia.

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Ukrainian social media users seized the opportunity to lampoon Russia’s territorial ambitions, creating a satirical narrative around the BNR. The idea was not only to mock Russian invaders but also to reflect on the absurdity of events in eastern Ukraine during 2014.

The joke resonated widely, and soon, the BNR had “leaders” — entirely fictional, with some hilariously generated by artificial intelligence.

But the FSB, lacking any appreciation for satire, has gone all in. Despite the BNR being as real as unicorns, the agency’s new designation theoretically allows it to investigate, prosecute, and arrest anyone “affiliated” with the non-existent state.

The joke gained further traction in May 2022 when Ukrainian military chimed in, warning that drones would target Belgorod buildings unless marked with “BNR.” Remarkably, some residents took the bait, adorning their rooftops with these very letters (pictured below).

Fast-forward to May 2023, and Ukraine held an online “referendum” on the independence of several Russian regions, including Belgorod. Around the same time, anti-Kremlin volunteer forces like the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps temporarily seized villages in Belgorod, turning the meme into a surreal, if brief, geopolitical reality.

In January 2024, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski issued a decree acknowledging historical Ukrainian presence in certain Russian regions, promising cultural and linguistic rights to ethnic Ukrainians. By March, Ukrainian troops and anti-Kremlin volunteers had broken through the front lines, occupying parts of Belgorod and Kursk, delivering yet another blow to Russia’s increasingly strained military.

The situation left the Kremlin’s propaganda machine reeling, while social media in Ukraine buzzed with memes about a “special military operation” to liberate the BNR.

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For now, it’s unclear whether Kyiv will escalate this satirical saga into official policy by actually supporting “People’s Republics” in Russia, mirroring Moscow’s playbook in Donetsk and Luhansk. What is clear, however, is that the FSB — a global intelligence agency with vast resources — is in no mood for humor and is at real war on an internet meme.

The same database includes hundreds of entries for both fictional and possibly real political organizations. Examples include the Moskovia Republic, Novgorod Republic, Pskov Republic Movement, Samara People’s Republic, and South-Russian Federation, among others. This suggests the FSB has its hands full with a to-do list of imaginary states to monitor — well before any of them even has a chance to materialize.

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