The Ukrainian Prosecutor General announced on Tuesday that former presidential spokesperson Iuliia Mendel has been charged with "high treason." Mendel has become one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's most prominent critics in recent years.
Mendel, 40, served as Zelensky's spokesperson between 2019 and 2021, during the early years of his presidency. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she has increasingly criticized the Ukrainian president publicly, accusing him of corruption and growing autocracy.
The Prosecutor General's Office stated via Telegram that "prosecutors have gathered enough evidence to inform the former media official of the Ukrainian president that she is suspected of high treason and justifying the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine."
It added that "Mendel is accused of exploiting her fame and experience to spread statements in favor of the aggressor state, aiming to tarnish Ukraine's image."
Investigators have particularly criticized Mendel for saying that "there is no freedom of speech" in Ukraine and that the country is "heading toward ruin." They also accuse her of speaking about individuals she claims are "profiting from the continuation of the war," as well as referring to "political cronyism" and the "persecution of dissidents" in Ukraine.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, these statements fall under "narratives that favor Russia" and are likely to "foster disillusionment and demoralize Ukrainian society."
Mendel denied the accusations in a Telegram message, stating that the wording of the charge "proves she is right."
She added: "This is the price of freedom of expression and attempting to save Ukraine under the Zelenskyy regime."
In September, Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Mendel, who currently resides outside the country.
Mendel previously praised Zelenskyy, but has changed her stance toward him in recent years, accusing him of being "the greatest beneficiary of the war" and "one of the major obstacles to peace."
