Ukraine Announces Treason Suspicion Against Zelensky's Former Press Secretary Yulia Mendel
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office and the Security Service (SBU) have announced a suspicion of treason and justifying Russia's armed aggression against Yulia Mendel, the president's former press secretary. She is currently outside Ukraine.
Prosecutors from Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General, working with investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), have notified Yulia Mendel, the former press secretary of the Ukrainian president, that she is suspected of treason and of justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. She held the post in the administration of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The case rests on her public statements, and authorities stress that she is currently outside Ukraine.
What investigators allege
According to the investigation, Mendel used her public profile and experience in government communications to spread narratives that benefit the aggressor state, discredit Ukraine and weaken international support for it.
The materials behind the suspicion include her remarks in foreign media and on social media. In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, she said: "I believe Ukraine is on the verge of disappearing" and "You see, my nation is degrading." She also claimed that Ukraine has no democracy or freedom of speech, that the country is full of bans, and compared the situation to the Soviet Union. On her Facebook page she posted claims about alleged profiteering from the continuation of the war, political patronage, propaganda and persecution of dissenters. As the Prosecutor General's Office notes, Russian state and pro-Kremlin media actively used these and other statements.
Expert findings
Forensic examinations were carried out as part of the investigation. They found signs in the former press secretary's statements that violate the foundations of national security in the information sphere, as well as signs of destructive information-psychological influence. The experts concluded that such influence is exerted by spreading narratives beneficial to Russia and helps it carry out subversive activity against Ukraine.
The prosecution believes the materials were meant to create among international audiences an image of Ukraine as a state not deserving further support, and of its leadership as an obstacle to peace. Inside the country, the investigation says, the messages aimed to deepen disillusionment and demoralize society.
Because Mendel is outside Ukraine, measures are under way to bring her to justice, the SBU said.
