Ukraine’s former ormer press secretary Yuliia Mendel (Image credit: www.president.gov.ua)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday imposed 10-year sanctions on his former press secretary Yuliia Mendel and nine others, accusing them of spreading Russian propaganda and supporting Moscow’s aggressive policy towards Ukraine.
The sanctions, announced in a presidential decree, include asset freezes and restrictions on trade, according to the document.
“Sunday’s order “imposes restrictions on 10 Russian and Ukrainian individuals who spread disinformation and Russian propaganda and support Russia’s aggressive policy toward Ukraine. Yuliia Mendel is among those sanctioned,” the presidency said in a statement.
Mendel, who served as Zelenskiy’s press secretary from 2019 to 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said she had expected the sanctions. Ukraine has previously used sanctions against political figures, including former president and opposition politician Petro Poroshenko in 2025. Mendel was Zelenskiy’s first press secretary after he became president and held the position until 2021.
The suspects have denied charges that have not been tested in court.
Mendel has given interviews criticising Zelenskiy’s record since last year, when several members of the president’s inner circle became embroiled in corruption scandals.