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A mystery smell repeatedly drove reporters from the press room while they awaited Zelenskyy's briefing. The pungent disruption prompted jokes from correspondents and POLITICO Europe on social media.
Oct 17, 2026 11:56 IST
Journalists waiting to cover Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a high-stakes European Union summit in Brussels found themselves chasing more than breaking news, with a mysterious smell repeatedly driving reporters out of the European Council press briefing room.
The bizarre episode, which quickly became a talking point on social media, saw international correspondents grappling with what POLITICO Europe dubbed a mystery: who keeps farting in the press briefing room?
The problem was apparently not a one-off incident. Reporters had faced a similar ordeal during a diplomatic briefing the previous evening, when an “eye-watering emission” forced several journalists to flee the room.
Political economy analyst and correspondent Shankkar Aiyar, who said he was among those affected, described the episode as “hilarious” but clearly less amusing for those trapped in the press room.
“Hilarious! Who is the phantom farter?” Aiyar wrote on X, recounting how reporters had repeatedly been forced to deal with a particularly unpleasant smell while waiting for Zelenskyy's media interaction.
Hilarious! Who is the phantom farter? Reporters waiting for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the European Council press briefing room have repeatedly been forced to deal with a fetid farter in their midst. It isn’t the first time either, with several journalists (including this correspondent) forced to flee a diplomatic briefing last night after an eye-watering emission. Everyone is running on nothing but coffee and the fear of missing out on a briefing, so we suppose it is to be expected. Still, one can’t help but wish the mystery malodorer would take themselves outside and sort it out before people pass out.— Shankkar Aiyar (@ShankkarAiyar) October 16, 2026
COFFEE, BREAKING NEWS AND BAD AIR
The wait for a presidential briefing can be gruelling, with correspondents spending long hours in press centres to ensure they do not miss a crucial announcement. This time, however, the challenge appeared to involve keeping a safe distance from the source of the mystery smell.
“Everyone is running on nothing but coffee and the fear of missing out on a briefing, so we suppose it is to be expected,” Aiyar wrote.
He nevertheless had a request for the unidentified culprit, wishing that the “mystery malodorer” would step outside and sort out the problem before people passed out.
POLITICO Europe brought the episode to a wider audience by flagging the mystery on X, asking who was responsible for repeatedly letting one rip while reporters waited for Zelenskyy.
SOCIAL MEDIA GETS A WHIFF
The story also struck a chord with journalists familiar with the less glamorous side of covering politics and diplomacy.
Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko reacted to the news with the quip, “God, I miss press rooms and centres,” while US political reporter Ben Jacobs joked about the culinary culprit, writing, “Just wait till you try the Senate Bean Soup they make in Brussels.”
security reporter Robbie Gramer took a geopolitical angle, joking that “NATO has yet to respond to the Russian-backed malign flatulence campaign”.
Another user, FJ, appeared unable to believe the bizarre turn of events, posting in capital letters: “WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING...!!”
POLITICO Europe later capped its coverage with a pun on the summit itself, joking that the gathering had been “a load of hot air”.
For journalists accustomed to navigating diplomatic tension, tight deadlines and marathon briefings, the Brussels summit had apparently offered one more challenge: figuring out who was responsible for clearing the room, without saying a word.
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