MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Top Ukrainian military commander Valery Zaluzhny has confirmed that a listening device was found in an office designated for his use.

"This is the room I was supposed to use today. They found it [a listening device] in this room yesterday during an inspection. <...> I have several places where I work. And this happened in one of them. I haven't been there for a long time," Zaluzhny said in a video published on the Telegram channel of the RBC-Ukraine news agency.

He confirmed that surveillance technology was found not only in his office. The Ukrainian armed forces’ commander-in-chief declined to speculate on who may have been behind the installation of the devices, noting that the investigation will look into that question. However, when asked whether it could have been someone from the Ukrainian General Staff, he answered in the negative.

The day before, Ukrainian media reported that listening devices had been found in the office of Zaluzhny and his staff. Later, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that a criminal case had been initiated with respect to the incident. At the same time, the SBU claimed that the devices were not in Zaluzhny's office, but "in one of the premises that could be used by him for work in the future." In addition, according to the SBU, the device was in non-functioning condition.

On December 18, information about the discovery was confirmed by the General Staff. They said that listening devices were found to have been installed in office premises intended to accommodate the work of Zaluzhny and his executive staff. Earlier, the media reported that the devices were found in the office of the commander-in-chief’s personal assistant, Konstantin Bushuyev. After initial news reports about the listening devices appeared, former Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar wrote on her Telegram channel that leaks of classified information from the headquarters of the Ukrainian command had already taken place on more than one occasion.