SSU detained Russian GRU agents who had been ordered to investigate consequences of "Oreshnik" strike on Lviv region. VIDEO&PHOTOS

The Security Service's counterintelligence detained two Russian military intelligence agents who helped the enemy assess the consequences of the "Oreshnik" strike on civilian infrastructure in the Lviv region on the night of 8 to 9 January 2026.

According to the case file, the reconnaissance for this attack was carried out by a 64-year-old resident of Mukachevo, who was recruited remotely by the enemy's special services, as well as his 22-year-old unemployed neighbour, reports Censor.NET.

Details

SSU officers established that, on the orders of the GRU, the junior agent travelled from Zakarpattia to Lviv Oblast after the attack. He visited locations in the area of the missile strike one by one, photographed them and recorded their coordinates on Google Maps.

He then passed the information he had gathered to a "senior" agent who remained in Mukachevo and reported directly to a Russian special services supervisor.

The SSU detained both spotters at the same time: one at his place of residence in Mukachevo, and the other "red-handed" in the Lviv region, when he was conducting reconnaissance near the site of the enemy "arrival".

According to available information, the ruscists needed information about the extent of damage to Ukrainian facilities after the strike in order to use it in their information and psychological special operations and to plan new shelling in the region.

During searches, electronic devices containing evidence of work for the Russian special services were seized from the detainees. The SSU also intercepted conversations between one of the agents and their supervisor. These audio recordings have been added to the criminal case file.

SSU investigators informed the detainees that they were suspected of high treason committed under martial law.

The perpetrators are in custody.

They face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

"Oreshnik" missile strike on Lviv region on 8 January

On the evening of 8 January, monitoring channels warned of a possible threat of an "Oreshnik" missile strike on Ukraine. Subsequently, a series of explosions was heard in Lviv.
Local authorities initially stated that it was not yet known whether it was indeed an "Oreshnik" missile.
On 9 January, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that they had struck Ukraine with an "Oreshnik" missile in response to an "attack" on Putin's residence.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia had used a medium-range ballistic missile against Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed that it was an "Oreshnik," which can carry nuclear weapons.
The Security Service of Ukraine later released photos of the "Oreshnik" debris. They stated that the use of such a missile against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure is a war crime.