the CIA would give him photos from known russian spies and within the hour he would track their location to the exact spot.
So he can track locations even if the shot is of someone sitting in a room in front of a white wall?
You say this, but people managed to find shia labeouf in a random location in tennessee from a picture of the sky.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/4chan-does-first-good-thing-pulls-off-the-heist-of-the-century1/
directly in front of a white wall? Probably not, but even small clues like, a window to the outside can be beneficial.
Observe how the wall reflects sunlight : the paint gives off a blueish shine caused by a tiny amount of lead in it, around 3-5% -this is consistent with paints made in the URSS until 1985 and sold throughout central Asia. The paint strokes go in a NW-to-SE diagonal which indicates a preference of the painter for right-to-left script. We’re in Tadjikistan.