Wiretap Found in Ukraine Military Chief's Premises Raises Questions

A wiretap found in offices that Ukraine's military commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, planned to move into could be another sign of the reported rift between him and his President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former British diplomat has told Newsweek.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) posted on Telegram on Sunday that "a technical device" had been found in premises earmarked for Zaluzhnyi's future use.

Preliminary information showed the equipment was in a "non-working state" and while it had not been found in the actual office of the commander, it was in one of the rooms "that could be used by him."

Zaluzhnyi told The Economist in November that fighting between Russia and Ukraine had reached a "stalemate" in an assessment rejected by Zelensky. Zaluzhnyi is reportedly being targeted for a reshuffle among top brass following a counteroffensive launched in June which has widely been seen to have failed.

John Foreman, former defense attaché to the British embassy in Moscow, said it was "highly unusual" that the SBU had revealed the device had been found, although it seems the information had been leaked first.

He said there were "two suspects. The Russians obviously—if so, it is concerning to Ukraine that access was gained." However, it could also be "an internal job by someone trying to gain intelligence or 'kompromat' on the Commander-in-chief."

"If so, it is also concerning that infighting is continuing between the military and civilian sides in the wake of the failed Ukrainian offensive and Zaluzhnyi's, article," Foreman told Newsweek.

The SBU said on Sunday that it did not appear the device could record or transmit information and that a criminal probe had been launched. "SBU staff are taking all legal measures to investigate this offense," it added, according to a translation.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported on Monday that a wiretap had also found in the office of Zaluzhnyi's assistant, Konstantin Bushuev. Newsweek has contacted the SBU for further comment.

Another assistant to Zaluzhnyi, Major Hennadiy Chastyakov, 39, died in mysterious circumstances in November when a grenade that was apparently part of a birthday present exploded.

Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, Igor Klimenko, described a tragic accident in which Chastyakov had opened a gift from one of his colleagues in front of his family.

Zaluzhnyi spoke of the "unspeakable pain" he felt at the death of his "close friend" as he awaited the outcome of an investigation into whether the death was caused by the mishandling of explosives.

However, its timing in the wake of Zaluzhnyi's Economist interview raised speculation among some Ukrainian social media users and pro-Russian Telegram accounts of sabotage linked to the spat between him and the president, although no proof was offered.

Also last month, the poisoning of Marianna Budanova, the wife of the head of Ukraine's military intelligence service (GRU), Kyrylo Budanov, sparked sabotage claims, including whether it had been directed by Moscow intended for Budanov, or linked to infighting among Ukrainian elites.