listening devices discovered in an office of assistants to the chief of staff

Ukraine announced on Monday the discovery of microphones in an office of assistants to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armies Valery Zalouzhny, after having reported the day before the same discovery in a future office of the latter.

This incident occurred as media reports of growing tensions between Valery Zalouzhny and President Volodymyr Zelensky, against a backdrop of the failure of the counter-offensive by Kiev forces launched this summer and the crumbling of Western support, near two years after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Listening equipment was installed in offices intended for the work of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and employees of his office“, the Ukrainian army general staff said in a statement. It is “two offices, that of the commander in chief and that of assistants“, a source close to the matter told AFP.

No secret information was disclosed

This device was discovered during a “routine check» on a site, added the general staff. For his part, Valery Zaluzhny estimated on Monday that no secret information could be disclosed with the help of the discovered equipment. “I do not believe that“, he assured. The general said the listening device was discovered in a room where he was supposed to go Monday morning. “I have several places where I work. This happened in one of them. I haven’t been there for a long time“, he said in a video published by several media.

Valery Zaluzhny confirmed that his office was not the only one affected, while specifying that the incident did not occur in the premises of the Ukrainian army headquarters. “We haven’t worked there for a long time“, he added. Asked how he viewed this incident, Valery Zalouzhny simply replied: “like war“. “The investigation will establish» the objective of this operation, he swore.

The Ukrainian security services (SBU) announced on Sunday the opening of an investigation into “illegal use of special technical means to obtain information“. No clues as to the origin of this listening device have been put forward at this stage. As commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny decides on the overall course of operations on the front, under the authority of President Volodymyr Zelensky.