On 18th December (Monday), Ukraine’s military chief claimed that a covert listening device was found in one of the offices where he works. He also alluded that more such devices were also found in other places as well without going into the details.
Ukrainian Army Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said, “I have several offices where I work. This happened in one of them. We checked (the room) and found (the device).” He added that listening devices were not only found in the office where he worked but he didn’t provide further details. However, he did not clarify whether more than one device was discovered within the premises of the Ukraine General Staff.
As per Ukrainian local media, the bugs were found on Saturday (16th December) before the beginning of the working day.
According to Ukraine’s security service, the bugs were found during a routine sweep of the room that the official was using. However, it added that the device wasn’t working.
Following the revelation, Ukrainian media reported that suspicions immediately pointed toward Russia amid the continuing war between the two nations, which could drag into another year.
According to Reuters, Ukraine’s security service said on Sunday (17th December) that it had launched a criminal probe under a law on information gathering after a “technical device” was found in an office that could have been used in the future by Commander in Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi.
On the Telegram messaging app, the agency said that an investigation had been opened under an article in Ukraine’s criminal code on “unlawful acquisition, sale, or use of special technical means for obtaining information”.
The statement further indicated that the device, initially identified as a bug by local media, was preliminarily assessed to be “non-operational,” and no methods of storing information or remotely transmitting audio recordings were detected.
It said, “We emphasise that the device was found not directly in Valery Zaluzhnyi’s office but in one of the premises that could have been used by him in the future for work.”
Meanwhile, several Ukrainian and Western media reports claim that there has been friction between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Army Commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny.
In an article for The Economist, Zaluzhny conceded that the conflict in Ukraine has come to a standstill. In a subsequent interview with the same magazine, he expressed that Ukrainian troops would not be able to make advancements along the engagement line.
Following his observations, the Ukrainian presidential office expressed disagreement with Zaluzhny’s statements. Strana media outlet reported that Zaluzhny’s comments might indicate his presidential ambitions. Ukrainian media also speculate about the potential resignation of Zaluzhny.
The Russia-Ukraine war
Ukraine and Russia have been at war for more than a year now. In 2014, Russia captured Crimea from Ukraine and has been controlling it ever since. The war started after Russia felt provoked by Ukraine’s inclination to join NATO which is largely an anti-Russia coalition of Western nations. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the battle is being fought on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine has received immense support from the West but the support is gradually fading. Ukraine has seen massive losses in men and territory.