The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Tuesday it arrested two men from the Middle East for setting a substation ablaze in western Ukraine’s Chernivtsi region, which borders Romania.
Their exact nationalities were not disclosed.
According to the SBU’s press release, the two were recruited by Russian intelligence via social media when they were “looking for ‘easy’ money” – a typical setup for Moscow-backed sabotage operations in Ukraine previously reported by the SBU.
The two were said to have arrived in Chernivtsi in early August to scout the site before dousing a substation with gasoline and setting it ablaze. They were arrested within 24 hours.
“To carry out the enemy’s task, the suspects arrived in the regional center in early August of this year and conducted reconnaissance around the perimeter of the energy facility to find places for covert penetration into its territory,” the SBU wrote.
“The agents then doused the transformers and the area around them with gasoline, set them on fire, and fled,” it added.
The two have been formally notified of suspicion in connection with a completed sabotage attempt allegedly committed by a group of people acting under a pre-arranged conspiracy during martial law, under Ukraine’s Criminal Code. They are being held without bail and face life imprisonment if convicted.
Moscow-backed arson cases have been a frequent occurrence in Ukraine, often involving teenagers or others motivated by financial gain, but the use of foreign nationals is relatively rare, based on previous SBU accounts.
One similar case took place in December 2025, when the SBU said it arrested two men from an unspecified “neighboring European country” tasked by Russian intelligence to commit arson and other subversive activities. The two were also ordered to commit the acts in Chernivtsi.
In November, the SBU announced the arrest of another Eastern European spy tasked by Russia to set fire to military cars in the Kyiv region.
Another high-profile espionage case is the arrest of Ross David Cutmore, a British national who initially arrived as a military trainer.