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Lviv mayor says he found bug in office after meetings with top Ukrainian officials

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Lviv mayor says he found bug in office after meetings with top Ukrainian officials
Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi presents new department of the Combatants Center in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sept. 8, 2025. (Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

A listening device was found in the office of Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi after several top Ukrainian officials and foreign guests had visited, he said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda published on Sept. 23.

His comments come days after he first revealed on Sept. 17 that a bug had been discovered inside one of the phones on his desk, specifically in the phone’s charging stand, which also served as a holder.

Andrii Sadovyi, 57, has served as mayor of the western city of Lviv since 2006 and has been elected to the position four times.

Sadovyi said that the phone started malfunctioning and was sent for repairs, where the listening device was discovered. The mayor said he rarely used that particular phone, but believes the device may have recorded conversations held in his office.

Over the past month, Sadovyi met there with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, and several foreign visitors.

"If those conversations go public, it’s not great. Although, to be honest, we didn’t say anything particularly special," said Sadovyi.

According to the mayor, so far, no one has confirmed whether there was a court order authorizing the bugging in his office.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is investigating the case.

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Kateryna Denisova

News Editor

Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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