European Commission fires interpreter who took notes on Zelenskyy’s words: she was suspected of spying for Russia
The European Commission has fired a translator with dual French and Ukrainian citizenship on suspicion of spying for Russia. She was exposed in the transcript of recordings made during a closed meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU leaders in Brussels at the end of 2024.
This was reported by Politico and the French newspaper Le Monde, Censor.NET informs.
The incident took place on 19 December 2024 during a meeting of the European Council in Brussels. The meeting was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the European Commission's code of conduct, it is forbidden to take written notes during closed meetings where defence and security issues are discussed.
The results of the internal investigation were handed over to the Belgian authorities, who will determine whether to continue the investigation and whether the interpreter's actions were part of a Russian espionage operation.
According to Le Monde, at that meeting, EU leaders pledged to provide Ukraine with at least €30 billion in financial assistance in 2025, which was to be used to purchase weapons and protect energy infrastructure.
During the discussions, the Czech interpreters noticed their colleague responsible for the Ukrainian translation, Ms I., in a nearby booth, deciphering the content of the ongoing discussions. This was immediately reported to the security services, who broke into the booth and caught the interpreter red-handed.
They seized all her notes and forced her to leave the room. On the same day, an investigation was launched, her accreditation was revoked and she was banned from entering the European Commission premises.
The publication writes that the girl was born into a Russian family and lived in Ukraine with her sister, who was also a translator.
They have been working for about 20 years as freelance translators for NATO, the European Commission, and the French Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs.
When asked by Le Monde, the European Commission confirmed: "An incident involving note-taking, which is prohibited by our code of conduct, did indeed occur during a meeting on 19 December 2024. The notes were confiscated. After careful consideration of the facts, it was decided not to use the services of the interpreter anymore."
The newspaper adds that the Ukrainian embassies in France and Brussels have refused for several years to allow this person to attend meetings of the President of Ukraine.
They pointed to the fact that she maintains professional relations with Russian officials.
In a comment to Le Monde, she said she was "very surprised that she was approached with such a minor issue".
According to her, it was just a misunderstanding. She then refused to comment on the illegal record-keeping at the European Commission, saying only that "everything about my work as a translator is classified".
