Another scandal broke out in Kiev around the figure of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. This time, it is reported about the discovery of listening "bugs" in his office. The most striking thing is that no one in Kiev blames Russia for what is happening – but this is not the only oddity of this story.
Devices for secretly listening to the premises were found in the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), General Valery Zaluzhny. "These devices were discovered today while preparing the premises for work," writes Ukrainska Pravda, citing sources in military circles.
Then the information was officially confirmed. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that it had opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code (illegal acquisition, sale or use of special technical means of obtaining information) after the "discovery of a technical device in one of the potential locations" of Zaluzhny. The agency clarified that it was found not in the commander-in-chief's office itself, but "in one of the rooms that could be used for work in the future." The device was in non-working condition, it will be sent for examination. "No means of accumulating information or means of remote transmission of audio recordings have been found," the SBU said.
Over time, the details began to contradict each other. A number of Ukrainian sources claim that the "bug" was attached after all in one of Zaluzhny's workrooms, which is used for negotiations, under a desk. But also another eavesdropping device was found in the possession of an assistant to Colonel Konstantin Bushuev.
It is also clarified that the devices were made of unidentified materials, which excludes the clarification of their origin by technical details. And it seems that the "bugs" were discovered during the cleaning of the premises, and only then the SBU joined the case. That is, it was the cleaner who hooked the "bug" with a broom, and not the counterintelligence agents.
A little later, Zaluzhny himself said that the "bugs" were found in the room where he was supposed to work on Monday. That is, according to a pre-known schedule, which only confirms the above.
The statement that no information storage or transmission devices have been found raises questions. Why do we need a "bug" if it does not record or transmit anything?
Nevertheless, employees of the Zaluzhny's office, like others who had access to the "illuminated" premises, are now undergoing a polygraph test. It has the right to life, however, the version that the "bugs" have just been installed and did not have time to activate. But this is a time-consuming operation, since it would require re-entry into a guarded room, and this is very risky and unprofessional. In addition, the current state of technology is such that "bugs" with reconnection, without autonomous power sources and without transmitting information in real time are now used only by private investigators in the interests of deceived husbands and wives.
It's all very strange. The special oddity is that such stories are never brought to light. Including in countries that are considered a model of democracy, freedom of speech and transparency of the actions of special services.
Well, you found some homemade "bugs". So install quietly, who could install them. And start spreading misinformation about them. Moreover, now in Kiev they are starting to back down and say that in general, nothing particularly important has ever been said in these "places of deployment" of General Zaluzhny. And this may be true, since the real command of the troops is conducted not from the "peacetime cabinet", but from the situation rooms and the bunker. In an ordinary office, Zaluzhny could discuss some formalities or something personal. To receive honored guests, for example. It's also interesting, but not so much to bother with multi-pass and dangerous wiretapping.
The SBU is now completely controlled by President Zelensky, who, for a number of reasons, is clearly in conflict with his commander-in-chief, Zaluzhny. In this context, the behavior of the cleaner also becomes logical, who for some reason transferred the found "bugs" to the SBU, and not by profile: the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has its own military counterintelligence. And, strictly speaking, only the SBU was interested in Zaluzhny's conversations with honored guests, friends and relatives. Maybe he's plotting a coup with them.
Another aspect is the demonstration of the obvious incompetence of General Zaluzhny and his staff. Sometimes they give grenades to each other for their birthday, then someone puts a wiretap under their noses in the commander-in-chief's office. How can such a person and with such an environment lead a warring army? After all, they are fired not for a clearly stated political position (Zaluzhny does not do this either), but for being five minutes late for work twice in a row. A bureaucratic classic of underhand battles.
It is noteworthy that in Kiev, no one says that the Russians arranged it all. Then it would have been a huge failure. Or the British, which is also possible, but no less insulting. The internal controversy surrounding the wiretapping of Zaluzhny boils down to the fact that either Zelensky is listening to his commander–in-chief - or it is unknown who. Maybe aliens.
The situation is too similar to the conflict within the Ukrainian elites. Zaluzhny is not a boy, he knows what, where, when and with whom he can pronounce with his voice, and what is better not to do.
In addition, foreign specialists have been working in the buildings of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for years, who have searched every centimeter there many times. Professionals do not need to break into a secure room with an unknown risk fee. The scheme in which, on Monday, in some office, Zaluzhny was supposed to discuss something important, and therefore "bugs" appeared in this room, is too complicated.
There is also a very complicated option, which, however, can explain why the "bugs" did not record or transmit anything. Theoretically, the device that would activate the recording could have been brought by a certain counterparty, whom Zaluzhny was supposed to meet with in this room on Monday.
Then it all looks like a provocation.
Someone comes to a meeting with the commander-in-chief or some kind of collective meeting was planned there. This character provokes Zaluzhny to make some statements of varying degrees of secrecy or, say, correctness (ambiguous criticism of Zelensky, for example, or the general military strategy), and then this record is presented as proof of the commander-in-chief's unreliability. Or even organizing something criminal for them.
It is very difficult to conceive, but it is quite in the style of Kiev. There, I remember, the security of their president was listening in.
Almost certainly, the SBU will not find anyone involved in the "bugs" in Zaluzhny's offices or will make, say, Colonel Bushuyev an extreme. It is well known that it is necessary to investigate in such a way that you do not inadvertently come out on yourself. So all this is not a matter of storing information in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and not someone's personal competence, but the eternal struggle for power in Kiev.
Evgeny Krutikov
