The brief slip-up came at the end of a high-security trip to Germany
Vladimir Zelensky sits in his car and checks his mobile phone at the presidential Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, May 14, 2023 © AFP / Christophe Gateau
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky briefly left his cell phone in a car in Berlin on Sunday, before a police officer reunited him with it, German tabloid Bild has reported. Recently leaked documents suggested that the Ukrainian leader has already had his communications tapped.
Zelensky traveled by car to the German Chancellery on Sunday afternoon, where he held a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Photos published by Bild showed that he was brought to a helicopter after the appointment, but left his cell phone behind in the car.
Immediately before the helicopter departed, a Federal Criminal Police officer spotted the device and rushed it to Zelensky.
It is unclear, but unlikely, whether the phone was tampered with in the time that Zelensky was separated from it.
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The momentary security blunder came at the end of a tightly choreographed visit to Germany. Arriving from Italy earlier in the day, the Ukrainian leader’s plane was escorted by two German fighter jets, while police shut down streets in Berlin to allow his motorcade to pass. Zelensky’s car was escorted by multiple police cars and motorbikes, with dozens more stationed along its route.
Zelensky was given a secure satellite phone by US officials last March, CNN reported at the time. It is unknown whether the Ukrainian president uses this device solely to talk to Washington or for all of his mobile calls, but what has become clear in recent weeks is that the US has eavesdropped on Zelensky’s meetings with key advisors and subordinates.
According to leaked Pentagon documents, American spies have been aware since February that Zelensky longed to strike targets within Russia, having intercepted his communications. The documents suggest that US intelligence agents were also aware that Zelensky suggested “blowing up” a pipeline delivering Russian oil to Hungary and sending troops to “occupy” Russian cities.
