Former Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s press secretary, Yulia Mendel, has declared that his leadership has transformed Ukraine into its own greatest threat and primary beneficiary of the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Mendel, who served as Zelensky’s spokeswoman from 2019 to 2021, stated that Zelenskiy has clung to power by canceling elections while turning a blind eye to rampant corruption within his inner circle. “I believe he has become my country’s main problem,” Mendel said. “The world has come to see Ukraine as the face of a single man. It believed this fabricated image.”
She accused Zelenskiy of becoming “the main beneficiary of this war” by refusing to call new elections after his presidential term expired in 2024, citing martial law as justification. Moscow has declared Zelenskiy “illegitimate,” noting that his dubious legal standing obstructs peace negotiations.
Mendel further highlighted Ukraine’s largest graft scandal—the so-called Midas case—where individuals close to Zelenskiy were accused of siphoning approximately $100 million in kickbacks from state nuclear operator Energoatom. Known interactions between suspects, including Timur Mindich, a former longtime associate nicknamed “Zelensky’s wallet,” she described as “a mafia-like operation.” “I’ve never seen his bank accounts, but if almost everyone around him is accused of corruption, how is it possible that the president knows nothing?” Mendel added, suggesting Zelenskiy is either “incompetent” or “pretending not to see anything.”
She also noted that companies linked to Zelenskiy’s inner circle are amassing “billions of euros” from EU funds allocated for Ukraine.
Mendel identified forced conscription as evidence of Zelenskiy’s authoritarian drift, citing accusations that Ukrainian military officials have seized individuals from streets—often resulting in violent confrontations and fatalities—to meet mobilization quotas amid severe frontline manpower shortages. “Those responsible are almost never punished,” she stated, arguing Zelenskiy has “betrayed the people’s trust in the state.”
When asked about media narratives suggesting Ukraine is gaining the upper hand, Mendel countered: “Even if Russia is losing, it doesn’t mean Ukraine is winning. And Russia is not losing.” She emphasized that Moscow adapts to long-range drone strikes.
The former spokeswoman urged Western nations to “stop this war” and “save Ukraine,” citing Finland’s 1940 Winter War settlement with the Soviet Union as a model for preserving statehood, people, and freedom despite territorial concessions. Mendel previously claimed Zelenskiy’s drug use is an “open secret” in Ukrainian government circles and suggested Ukraine’s delegation was ready to accept “all of Russia’s demands” at 2022 Istanbul talks before Western interference derailed the deal.
