Zelenskyy sanctions his former press secretary Yuliia Mendel

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on Yuliia Mendel, who served as his press secretary from June 2019 until July 2021.

Source: presidential decree of 13 September; the president's website

Details: Zelenskyy has enacted a National Security and Defence Council decision imposing personal sanctions against a number of individuals.

Among them is Yuliia Volodymyrivna Mendel, a 40-year-old Ukrainian citizen.

According to the president's website, Zelenskyy signed three decrees enacting National Security and Defence Council decisions to impose sanctions on vessels in Russia's shadow fleet, companies and individuals linked to the Russian state corporation Rostec, and propagandists who justify Russian aggression.

The sanctions target 20 maritime vessels that Russia uses to export oil, oil products and liquefied gas.

One of the decrees imposes sanctions on 29 Russian citizens and 29 Russian companies, including companies involved in supply chains for high-precision industrial equipment, electronics, and components used in missile and drone production. The restrictions also target companies producing dual-use goods, research organisations developing technical documentation for Russia's military-industrial complex, and an educational institution that trains specialised personnel for companies belonging to the Russian Kalashnikov concern. The sanctions also target companies that design solutions and supply high-tech equipment to companies within Russia's military-industrial complex, as well as IT companies that develop and maintain software for information encryption, data collection, and database management.

"Another decision imposes restrictions on 10 Russian and Ukrainian individuals who spread disinformation and Russian propaganda and support Russia's aggressive policy towards Ukraine. Yuliia Mendel is among those sanctioned," a statement on the president's website said.

Ukraine will pass all the information on to its partners for the purpose of synchronising sanctions in international jurisdictions.

For reference: Yuliia Mendel served as Zelenskyy's press secretary from 3 June 2019 to 9 July 2021. After leaving the post, she made a number of controversial statements about the president and his team.

Background:

• In May 2026, in an interview with notorious former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Mendel claimed that the Ukrainian delegation at the Istanbul talks in spring 2022 had been prepared to accept all of Russia's demands to end the war. She provided no evidence for this, citing only conversations with unnamed individuals. Among other things, Mendel accused Zelenskyy of money laundering and taking drugs in nightclubs.
• Mendel also claimed that Andrii Yermak, former head of the President's Office, performs black magic, including visiting cemeteries and using "dead water" (water that was used to wash dead bodies).
• She described Yermak as "a very dangerous person" and said he makes her fear for her life. She spoke in very general terms, referring to "her experience" and "contacts", but provided no details to substantiate her claims.

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