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Ukraine Arrests Two Russian Agents for Reconnaissance on Lviv Region Oreshnik Missile Strike
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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has arrested two agents of Russia’s military intelligence (GRU) who were tasked with assessing the damage caused by the Oreshnik missile strike on civilian infrastructure in Lviv region on the night of January 8-9, SBU reported on January 22.
According to SBU materials, one of the agents, a 64-year-old resident of Mukachevo in western Ukraine, was recruited remotely by the Russian intelligence agency, while his 22-year-old unemployed neighbor also became involved in the operation.
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The younger agent traveled from Zakarpattia to the Lviv region after the attack, where he systematically visited locations near the missile strike, photographing them and marking coordinates on Google Maps. He then passed the gathered information to the “senior” agent in Mukachevo, who directly reported to his Russian handler.
The SBU apprehended both agents simultaneously—one at his home in Mukachevo and the other in the Lviv region while conducting reconnaissance near the impact site.
The information was intended to assess the scale of the damage to Ukrainian infrastructure, which would be used in Russian psychological operations and to plan future strikes on the region.
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During the arrests, SBU officers confiscated electronic devices containing evidence of their collaboration with Russian intelligence. The SBU also intercepted a conversation between one of the agents and their handler, which has been added to the criminal case materials.
The suspects have been charged with state treason under Article 111, Part 2 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code (committed during martial law) and are currently in custody. They face life imprisonment with confiscation of property. The operation was carried out by the SBU in Zakarpattia with the coordination of the regional prosecutor’s office.
Previously, SBU had detained a 16-year-old resident of Kropyvnytskyi, whom it accused of working for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and trying to install a GPS tracker to guide a missile strike on the city’s thermal power plant.
SBU has also recently classified Russia’s systematic strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as crimes against humanity, citing extensive evidence that the attacks are aimed at destroying civilian living conditions.
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