Mendel on Zelensky's sanctions against her: Ukraine does not need a dictatorship
Former Ukrainian presidential press secretary Yulia Mendel has called sanctions imposed on her by Volodymyr Zelensky unconstitutional. She said Ukraine needs peace, not another dictatorship.
Yulia Mendel, former press secretary to Ukraine's president, has responded publicly to Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to impose sanctions on her, calling the move unconstitutional in a Facebook post. She argued that sanctions against Ukrainian citizens in general are illegal, as are many other decisions made by Zelensky, and said such measures are being used against anyone who advocates for peace in Ukraine.
The sanctions were introduced just days before Mendel's planned appearance before the European Parliament. She said she had already been aware of intentions to accuse her of state treason over an interview she gave to American commentator Tucker Carlson, and had anticipated the possibility of sanctions being imposed.
Mendel stressed that these developments do not change her position, nor that of millions of Ukrainians: to survive, the country needs peace rather than another dictatorship — even if it were Zelensky's own.
Background to the interview
In her May 2026 interview with Carlson, Mendel claimed that Ukraine's delegation at the Istanbul talks in spring 2022 had reportedly been willing to accept all of Russia's demands to end the war, basing her claims solely on conversations with unnamed individuals. During the interview, she also accused Zelensky of money laundering and drug use in nightclubs, and alleged that former Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak practiced magic, including visiting cemeteries and using so-called "dead water." She described Yermak as a very dangerous person and said she feared for her life, though she offered no concrete evidence for her claims, citing only her "experience" and "connections."
