Device with an antenna and SIM card found in the official car of Lviv's mayor: Sadovskyi notified law enforcement

An unknown electronic device was found in the official car of Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovskyi, which, according to the mayor himself, is highly likely to be a listening device. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement by Sadovskyi. According to his description, the device's design features an antenna, a SIM card, and a number of additional components. The mayor emphasized that the exact purpose of the device has not yet been established, although "it is difficult to call it anything else." Law enforcement agencies have already been informed about the find.

How the device was discovered

Sadovskyi said that the device was not found by chance, but thanks to suspicious signs in the car's operation. Over the past month, the official car's battery had been fully drained twice, and the bracket on which the device was mounted began to make a foreign knocking sound. After disassembling the relevant unit, staff found the device itself. The mayor noted that he has no idea who could have installed the device, and added that if it was done officially — by a court order by Ukrainian authorities — he is ready for them to "come and take it away."

Reaction from the mayor and law enforcement

Andriy Sadovskyi stated that he has already notified law enforcement agencies about the find and emphasized that publicity and openness are his personal safety. He ironically added that if the installation of the device was lawful, it would be "put back again," but next time he would ask them to do it in such a way that the battery does not drain, since the car must always be in working order. Thus, the mayor has effectively publicly documented the incident and left the further qualification to the competent authorities.

Contradictory data

The publications of various media outlets and the mayor's own wording contain a discrepancy in the degree of certainty. The headlines of a number of media outlets unambiguously call the found item a "bug" or a listening device. At the same time, Sadovskyi himself uses cautious wording in his statement: he says that it is "difficult to say" exactly what this device is, and only tentatively — "perhaps it is a listening device." In other words, the fact of finding a device with an antenna and a SIM card is confirmed, whereas its final technical qualification as a surveillance means remains an assessment, not the result of an independent expert examination, which is not mentioned in the sources.

Context: a previous find a year ago

The incident is not isolated. A year ago, on September 17, 2025, a listening device was already found in Andriy Sadovskyi's office — it was placed in the charging block of a cordless phone. According to the mayor, before that the phone began to "freeze," after which it was sent for repair, where the "bug" was discovered. Thus, the find documented in the car was, in effect, the second attempt in a year to install a device in the vicinity of the head of Lviv, which increases law enforcement's interest in identifying the persons responsible for such actions.