The Moscow City Court has upheld an in absentia arrest warrant for Oleg Ivashchenko, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, on terrorism charges.
The appellate court rejected an appeal against the detention order, which was initially issued by a lower court in early September.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the primary portion of the court hearing was conducted behind closed doors.
Under the terms of the court order, Ivashchenko faces a two month pre-trial detention period that will take effect upon his arrest on Russian territory or following his extradition to Russian law enforcement authorities.
Drone strikes on Starobelsk dormitory and Bryansk bus
Russian authorities charged the Ukrainian military intelligence chief under Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which governs acts of terrorism, following a drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobelsk on May 22.
There were 86 students inside the educational facility at the time of the attack, which caused the building to collapse and buried 21 people under the rubble.
Russian Prosecutor General Aleksandr Gutsan stated that Robert Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' unmanned systems forces, and Andrey Klimenko, commander of Ukraine's 114th Separate Unmanned Forces Brigade, were also involved in the Starobelsk college strike.
Gutsan further reported that Ivashchenko and Brovdi face additional terrorism charges in connection with a drone strike on a passenger bus in Russia's Bryansk Oblast on June 17.
The bus was transporting a children's football team from Gomel, Belarus, who were travelling to the Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik for a holiday. Nine passengers suffered injuries in the attack and one person died. Russian courts have also issued an in absentia arrest warrant for Brovdi.
Structure of Ukrainian military intelligence and legal background
Ivashchenko assumed leadership of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, known as GUR, in January 2026. The agency operates as Ukraine's primary military intelligence body, tasked with military reconnaissance, covert operations, and defense intelligence analysis.
The Moscow City Court is the highest regional judicial authority within Moscow, handling major criminal appeals and high-profile state security cases. Under Russian legal procedures, in absentia arrest decisions enable law enforcement agencies to register formal warrants for individuals outside Russian custody.
Starobelsk is a town located in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region. Bryansk Oblast is a Russian federal region situated along the border with Ukraine and Belarus, while Gelendzhik is a coastal resort town on the Black Sea in southwestern Russia.
