Ukrainian citizen Lidiya Gruk was detained in the Malorita district of Belarus. A propaganda film by the Belarusian state-run ONT channel claims that Lidiya and her husband, Yevgeny, were photographing border facilities. According to the film's creators, the couple was charged with "terrorism." The "terrorism" charges were later downgraded to "intelligence activities." The family is survived by four minor children: two sons and two daughters. The youngest daughter was only seven months old at the time of her detention.
Lydia's husband was sentenced to 24 years in a maximum security penal colony.
She was pardoned on November 22, 2025, along with 31 other Ukrainian citizens. According to Lukashenko's press service, this occurred as part of "agreements reached" with US President Donald Trump and "at the request of the Ukrainian side in order to create conditions for resolving the armed conflict in the neighboring state." The released citizens were immediately handed over to the Ukrainian side.
At the time of Lydia’s release, her children were with her mother-in-law in Belarus.
