She once spoke for Zelenskyy. Now Ukraine suspects her of treason over her interviews and posts
Prosecutors say Russian state media used her statements. She says Zelenskyy has just proved her right.
Ukrainian authorities have accused Iuliia Mendel, who served as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's former press secretary, of treason due to her public statements and social media posts, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Mendel, who resides abroad, asserts that the case is a punishment for her vocal opposition. This escalation of her dispute with Kyiv transforms her previous sanctions into a criminal investigation.
Seven weeks prior, Zelenskyy had sanctioned her and nine others for allegedly spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation. Prosecutors claim that Russian propaganda has utilized her words, and the SBU and Office of the Prosecutor General have issued an in absentia notice to her on November 3. The SBU alleges that Mendel discredits Ukraine internationally and supports Russia's regime and its full-scale war through her public statements and posts.
Under Ukraine's Criminal Code, treason during martial law can result in a 15-year or life sentence, along with the confiscation of property. The Prosecutor General's Office cited forensic evidence indicating a breach of national security in the information sphere, alleging that her statements sought to portray Ukraine as unworthy of further support and its leadership as an obstacle to peace.
Mendel responded on X (formerly Twitter) that the suspicion proves her right and described the case as a matter of freedom of speech, not collaboration, calling it "the price of freedom of speech and desire to save Ukraine under Zelenskyy." Once Zelenskyy's press secretary from 2019 to 2021, Mendel claimed in a May 2026 interview with US podcaster Tucker Carlson that he was one of the biggest obstacles to peace.
She alleged that Zelenskyy had agreed to cede Donbas during the 2022 Istanbul talks with Russia, a claim denied by presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn. On September 16, she was barred from the European Parliament and made her speech online, as the far-right AfD had invited her to an event. The SBU claims to be taking comprehensive measures to bring her to justice, but has not specified their approach.
For now, the case remains a notice served in absentia, with her foreign media statements and social media posts as the basis.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
