Ukraine notifies ex-Zelensky spokesperson Yulia Mendel of treason suspicion in absentia

Suspicion notified in absentia

On Tuesday, 3 November 2026, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the Prosecutor General's Office announced that Yulia Mendel, who was spokesperson for President Volodymyr Zelensky from 2019 to 2021, has been formally notified of suspicion in absentia. The notice covers state treason committed under martial law and the justification of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, an offence that also extends to denying or glorifying its participants. Mendel, a former journalist aged 40, lives outside Ukraine, so the notice was served without her presence. The SBU said its structures are working to make her answer for the alleged offences before the Ukrainian justice system. At this stage she is a suspect, and Mendel has not commented on her departure from the country, which the SBU cited as the reason the procedure is taking place in absentia.

What investigators point to

Prosecutors base the suspicion on public statements she made to foreign media and on her posts on social networks. In a May 2026 interview with the American commentator Tucker Carlson, she said Ukraine was close to vanishing and that her nation was degrading. In the same interview she argued that Ukraine has no democracy or free speech, and she compared conditions there to those in the Soviet Union. She described Zelensky as emotionally unstable and lacking empathy, and she publicly claimed that he uses cocaine, which she called an open secret. Investigators also cite Facebook posts in which she raised claims that some people profit from prolonging the war, along with political patronage, propaganda and the persecution of people with different views. The Prosecutor General's Office says these statements were actively used by Russian state media and Kremlin-friendly outlets in propaganda material.

The prosecutors' reasoning

“After expert examinations, it was established that her statements contain signs of violating the foundations of national security in the information sphere.”

Investigators believe the material was meant to shape the view among international audiences that Ukraine does not deserve further support and that its leadership stands in the way of peace. The SBU said her public remarks discredit Ukraine on the international stage and justify the Kremlin regime and the full-scale war it started. Its statement also describes her activities as subversive information work against Ukraine.

Mendel's reply

Mendel rejected the accusations in posts on social media. On Telegram she wrote that the wording of the accusation proves she is right, and she framed the case as the price of free speech and of her effort to save Ukraine under Zelensky's rule. On Facebook she argued that the suspicion stems from her speeches in Western media and her social media posts, which she said confirm her claims about corruption in Zelensky's circle, the absence of free speech and political persecution. She denied any cooperation with Russians, arguing that investigators would have written about such cooperation if it existed, and said the issue is freedom of speech. She has also argued for a quick agreement with Moscow, saying that continuing the war threatens Ukraine's survival, while condemning Russia's invasion and attacks.

Sanctions and timeline

Zelensky signed a decree on 13 September 2026 putting into effect a National Security and Defence Council decision to impose sanctions on Mendel. The presidential office said the step responded to her spreading disinformation and Russian propaganda and supporting Russia's aggressive policy against Ukraine. The sanctions restrict her economic rights in Ukraine. The sequence runs from the May interview to the September sanctions and then to the November suspicion notice.

The SBU said measures to bring her to account are continuing.