Zelensky's former press secretary exposes war profiteering, calls him "dictator" in bombshell interview

By isabelle // 2026-05-12

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Former Zelensky press secretary accuses him of prolonging war for personal profit and money laundering.
She claims Ukraine nearly reached a peace deal in 2022 but was pressured by the U.S. and UK to abandon negotiations.
Mendel describes Zelensky as a manipulative dictator who thrives on conflict and is unelectable.
Ukraine's population has reportedly shrunk from 42 million to 25 million due to war and economic collapse.
Zelensky faces mounting criticism and corruption allegations from within and abroad.

In an eye-opening interview with Tucker Carlson, Yulia Mendel, the former press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accused her ex-boss of prolonging the war with Russia for personal profit, calling him a "dictator" who thrives on conflict. Mendel, who served from 2019 to 2021, claimed Zelensky is "one of the biggest obstacles to peace today," alleging he uses the war to launder money and maintain power while Ukraine's people suffer. Mendel's explosive claims come as Zelensky's chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, faces money laundering investigations, and other close associates flee corruption scandals. She told Carlson that Zelensky "is going to come up with any condition, he is going to change his positions all the time just to prolong this war and to get more money." When pressed on whether Ukraine could win, she admitted, "I think it's obvious to Zelensky, too. But he thrives on this war. Why would he end it?"

A leader detached from reality

Mendel described Zelensky as a master manipulator, skilled at crafting a heroic image for Western audiences while ruling with authoritarian tactics at home. "He is constantly changing masks," she said, revealing that behind closed doors, he is "gloomy" and "evil," far from the compassionate leader he portrays in public. She recalled his own words: "Ukraine is not ready for democracy. Dictatorship is order." Her allegations extend to Zelensky's inner circle, where she claims corruption is systemic. She recounted an incident where a ministerial candidate was told to propose money-laundering schemes during a job interview with Zelensky and Yermak present. "He is behind many schemes of money laundering," she asserted, adding that secret polls she says were commissioned by the Ukrainian government show Zelensky is now "unelectable" if elections were held.

Did the West sabotage peace?

Mendel claimed Ukraine nearly reached a deal with Russia in 2022, only for the U.S. and UK to pressure Kyiv to abandon negotiations. Her account echoes claims made in 2023 by former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said he mediated early peace talks between the two sides and that Western powers ultimately "blocked" a potential agreement. Separately, Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul in late March 2022, where former U.S. officials told Foreign Affairs the two sides had agreed on a framework deal before negotiations collapsed. Ukrainian officials swiftly dismissed Mendel's claims. Presidential advisor Serhiy Lytvyn told LIGA.net that Mendel "did not participate in the negotiations" and was "out of it for a long time." Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, called her claims "conspiracy theories," insisting Ukraine has never considered surrendering territory.

A nation on the brink

Mendel painted a grim picture of Ukraine's future, estimating its population has shrunk from 42 million to around 25 million due to war, displacement, and economic collapse. She described pensioners freezing to death and young men dying in a conflict she believes Zelensky exploits. "Millions of people still believe that supporting Zelensky means supporting Ukraine," she said. "But today, the situation has changed." Her interview comes as Zelensky faces mounting criticism, both from Trump, who has called him a "dictator," and from Ukrainians weary of war. With elections suspended under martial law and dissent criminalized, Mendel's testimony raises troubling questions: Is Zelensky truly fighting for Ukraine, or for his own survival?

The cost of silence

Mendel also referenced longstanding rumors about Zelensky's alleged drug use, although she was careful to note she never personally witnessed any such behavior. She said that she was relying on accounts from acquaintances who claimed to have encountered him in clubs years earlier. The allegations are unverified and have no corroborating evidence on the record. Mendel's broader claims are difficult to verify, but they arise against a backdrop of documented concern about Ukrainian corruption. A confidential U.S. State Department strategy document obtained by Politico in 2023 revealed the Biden administration was privately far more alarmed about Ukrainian corruption than it publicly acknowledged, warning that "perceptions of high-level corruption" could undermine Western support for the war effort. As the war grinds on, one thing is clear: Ukraine's future hinges not just on battlefield victories, but on whether its leaders can be trusted to put their country first. For Mendel, the answer is already painfully obvious. Sources for this article include: RT.com News.Liga.net EADaily.com