Zelensky Has Encrypted Telecoms Gear Allowing Him to Get in Touch With Biden: Report

Along with Western weaponry, Ukraine is believed to have been equipped with a range of US and NATO telecommunications gear in recent years. On Sunday, Donetsk People’s Republic forces reported on the discovery of a ‘NATO IT Asset’ laptop at an abandoned headquarters belonging to the Right Sector* neo-Nazi paramilitary group.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has access to mobile encrypted communications equipment which travels with him at all times and allows him to dial up US President Joe Biden at a moment’s notice, the New York Times has reported, citing sources said to be familiar with the situation.

The equipment was reportedly used by Zelensky Saturday for a 35-minute call with Biden.

The telecommunications equipment is just a fraction of the aid the US and its NATO allies have given Ukraine in recent days. Other ‘assistance’ has included over 17,000 anti-tank missiles and hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of military equipment.

Military intelligence officials in the US and Germany are also gathering satellite intelligence on the movement of Russian forces and sending it to the Ukrainian military after stripping the data of any “hints of how they were gathered,” according to NYT. This is reportedly done as a precaution amid fears that Ukraine’s military and intelligence services are overrun with Russian spies.

The extent of US and NATO assistance to Ukraine in the field of telecommunications was partially uncovered Sunday, when DPR leader Denis Pushilin reported that a ‘NATO IT Asset’ laptop containing intelligence had been found at an abandoned headquarters of the neo-Nazi Right Sector paramilitary group. Pushilin said the laptop included a detailed map of the area of operations, including the locations of DPR units. This, he suggested, was an indication that the militants “have a special level of security clearance from the North Atlantic Alliance.”

Along with his customized encrypted telecoms equipment, Zelensky reportedly has access to an elite force of US and British commandos on standby in Lithuania ready to take whisk him out of the country in an emergency.

In a Zoom call Saturday, Zelensky warned US lawmakers that they may not see him alive again after asking them to send more weapons and to impose a no-fly zone. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured that Kiev has a contingency plan in place in case Zelensky was killed.

Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Ilya Kiva claimed Friday that Zelensky had already left Ukraine and taken refuge in the US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland. The Ukrainian president’s office denied the claims, saying Zelensky has no choice but to stay in his country. The office refused to provide details on the president’s current whereabouts, citing security concerns.

* The Right Sector is an extremist group whose activities are banned in Russia.