Iuliia Mendel
@IuliiaMendel • 169,978 subscribers
Ex-spokesperson for President Zelenskyy. Insider view. Writing a bold new exposé on the real story behind the scenes in Ukraine.
Shorts
Videos
In Ukraine, there are two camps. One stands for peace, the other for war. And it’s time we spoke about this openly. I believe the latter are fewer in number, yet far louder than anyone else. Of course — behind them stand enormous funds for propaganda and a license for impunity. They have thousands of talking heads, useful idiots, and people paralyzed by despair. They are ready to intimidate, harass, unleash bots, turn half the nation into “enemies of the people,” lecture and moralize, and teach you that your sons must die for the state. They insist that if you want the war to end, there’s something wrong with you — you’re naïve, stupid, or even insane. They claim there is no corruption, that all Ukrainians must remain poor, and that the conscription officers — which hunt men like animals and are notorious for torture and human rights abuses — are mere “Russian propaganda.” They say peace is impossible solely because of Putin, that the best hero is a dead hero, and that everyone shown on television is telling the truth. And then there’s the eternal message: “Just endure a little longer.” A few more months and we’ll win. Another six months and Russia will run out of resources. One more year and the war will be over. Every autocracy has had its propaganda. And every one operated on the same principle: silence, destroy, and hound the critics — while filling the media with the “right” people and the “right” messages. This summer, the last attempt this year to end the war will be made. It will be presented as American pressure, a betrayal of the Ukrainian people, especially Zelenskyy, or collaboration with Russia. They notice only the negative, and only when it’s time to shift blame onto someone else. As you may have noticed, according to Zelenskyy, everyone is guilty. Biden is guilty for talking about war and sowing panic. The West is guilty for not giving weapons on time. Trump is guilty for negotiating with Putin and trying to bring everyone to the table. Ukrainian men are guilty for not wanting to go to the front. Refugees are guilty for leaving and thus not being patriots. Critics are guilty because Ukraine is losing because of them. Deputy ministers, ministers, and long-time partners are guilty as they were caught in corruption. The only ones who are never guilty… are two specific people. I won’t name them. So this time, once again, everyone will be blamed. Zelenskyy will face a choice: either drag the war out further, or once again play the role of the unfortunate victim who, under pressure, is forced to do the unforgivable. We are offered various options to end the war, but our leadership rejects them all. The price of continuing the war is always the same — more rivers of Ukrainian blood, another horrific winter without electricity or heating, and hundreds of thousands more refugees. If this summer there is no peace agreement — any agreement at all — even a shaky ceasefire or a halt to large-scale shelling, the war will drag on at least until March. Because the United States, the only viable mediator and influential player, will be preoccupied with mid-term elections, then winter holidays, and then there will be the fifth anniversary of the war… Once again, we will be told to “endure a little longer,” and once again we will be fed stories about how Russia is about to collapse any day now. The people writing these messages are not stupid. They simply believe that we — all of us — are.
Iuliia Mendel75,235 görüntüleme • 1 gün önce
Keir Starmer warned in 2030 about Russia planning attacks on NATO. “And what does that have to do with us? As a Ukrainian woman, I say — fuck that. If they attack NATO, let them defend themselves. Ukraine and Ukrainians do not want to be Europe’s shield," - One of Ukrainian bloggers is pretty brutal about the news. -- "We don’t want to be a steel porcupine. We want to live normal lives — raise children, travel, exist like you Europeans do.” Read what Ukrainians think about the war and Zelenskyy in my op-ed here:
Iuliia Mendel15,520 görüntüleme • 1 gün önce
Putin has radically reimagined the meaning of this parade. Once a commemoration of victory over fascism in World War II, it is no longer about the past. Today, it stands as a symbol of his vision for the future. Troops from China, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and other nations — countries with little historical connection to WWII — now march in Moscow together. For Putin, the parade is no longer about remembrance. This is a display of unity among autocratic regimes, bound by rigid hierarchies and a shared defiance of modern democratic values. #Russia
Iuliia Mendel1,952,715 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
In the morning, Kyiv lies shrouded in thick smoke. People are counting the dead and wounded. The fifth year of this unrelenting war has left the country exhausted, steadily draining it of its human resources. Those who remain believe the state propaganda less and less. Year after year, it becomes clearer that endless hope and repeated promises end only in another terrible morning like this. Yet some still need more time to accept that a purely military solution is no longer possible.
Iuliia Mendel64,783 görüntüleme • 15 gün önce
The Russian army conducts “drone safaris” against the most defenseless — those who lack the health or money to escape the frontline. I would like to ask Vladimir Putin directly: Is this your “fight against NATO”? At the same time, Ukraine’s leadership is deriving enormous benefits from this war and shows no real interest in ending it. The only true victims of this horrific and senseless war are the Ukrainian people. Thank you Tucker Carlson
Iuliia Mendel110,330 görüntüleme • 28 gün önce
Seven billion dollars could have flowed into a Ukrainian drone company backed by friends of Volodymyr Zelensky. Of that amount, 20 percent—nearly one and a half billion dollars—was reportedly set to be pure profit for the insiders: Zelensky’s inner circle and the ministers he personally appointed. This is the very same company that Zelensky himself has been hawking nonstop—personally flying it around to foreign investors as Ukraine’s great success story. The details come from secret audio recordings made by Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau and leaked to an independent investigative journalist. Right now in Ukraine, politicians are openly talking about impeaching Zelensky. Tomorrow, a sitting member of parliament is going to read even more of these recordings publicly. I’m told some of the voices captured may include the First Lady herself. Other tapes casually refer to “Vova”—Zelensky’s nickname—as both a participant in the deal and the owner of one of four massive luxury mansions being built in Ukraine’s richest suburb outside Kyiv, each worth millions. Here’s the kicker: Out of 90 billion euros the European Union is lending to Ukraine, the first tranche is earmarked for “drone production.” They call it “defending the country.” Guess which company is first in line to get the money? On the recordings, a former Defense Minister is heard openly discussing how to steer a billion dollars from Western partners straight into the company of Zelensky’s friends. But let’s be honest: this isn’t really about defense. Drones aren’t just shields—they’re weapons. This is about offense. This is about keeping the war going. While ordinary Ukrainians continue to die under shelling, flee a collapsing economy, and watch our country disintegrate, the president’s inner circle is getting filthy rich. This bloody war is now entering its fifth year. And the people closest to Zelensky are profiting handsomely from it. Ukrainian activists, members of parliament, and independent media have been screaming this out loud. The only ones who refuse to report it? Western mainstream media. Instead of any serious scrutiny of corruption, you get glowing tributes to Ukraine’s “drone sector,” endless praise for “democracy’s great leader Zelensky,” and stories about exporting surplus weapons. So I’m asking my former colleagues in the media directly: Is this what journalism is now? Covering up massive corruption at the highest levels? Is this what “standing with the people” looks like? My country is dying. My people are dying—so that one man and his friends can get obscenely wealthy. If you’re in Ukraine, you already know there is nothing democratic about Zelensky’s government. This war is the only thing keeping him in power and money. The moment peace comes, it all evaporates. This isn’t about one man playing Winston Churchill. This is about the destruction of an entire nation. You may not be able to publish this by quoting your Ukrainian colleagues yet. But tomorrow, when a member of parliament—the highest elected office in the country—publicly reads these records, there will be no more excuses. The gap between what Western media tells you and what is actually happening in Ukraine has grown too wide. It’s time to close it.
Iuliia Mendel148,626 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
In 2020, I organized Zelenskyy’s interview for BBC HardTalk. He was very nervous, but he handled it well. Back then, Zelenskyy still wanted to end this war and said: “If I cannot end the war, then another person needs to come who is capable of ending this tragic story.”
Iuliia Mendel16,502 görüntüleme • 4 gün önce
Ukrainian special forces and police just pulled off an incredible rescue: six civilians were evacuated from the hellish frontline in Kupiansk, guided every step of the way by drone operators from above. Under constant threat, the group walked over 20 km on foot through dangerous territory — following light signals and directions from UAVs that lit the path and kept watch. Coordinated by the Special Purpose Police Regiment, air recon pilots, and the 425th Brigade soldiers, they reached safety where armored transport whisked them to Shevchenkove, met by volunteers. "Behind every kilometer: fear, exhaustion, and hope. Six saved lives made every step worth it."
Iuliia Mendel265,844 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce
There is no justification for Russian aggression. But it is time to face the truth. Today, in Ukraine, speaking the truth is considered unpatriotic. True patriotism, we are told, means glorifying the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCC), urging everyone to dedicate their lives to an endless war, turning a blind eye to corruption, silencing the suffering of frontline regions, praising soldiers at the front while tossing them five hryvnias in donations as a convenient excuse for the fact that these people have been risking their lives every single day for the fifth year — without rest and with their last remaining strength. Patriotism today means repeating propaganda, attacking any dissenting opinion, and looking away from uncomfortable facts. Yet even today, rosy Facebook posts cannot replace reality. I am stepping forward to thank you for the incredible wave of support I have received. I know I spoke the truth. Let the frenzied critics rage and pour dirt on me — I know that truth is now the only thing that can save Ukraine. Unfortunately, many in Kyiv have grown accustomed to the normalization of this war. They secure grants, stable salaries, political patronage, money-laundering schemes, or build careers on the back of the conflict. Such people exist in every war. But conscience still matters. Sooner or later, profiting from Ukrainian blood must come to an end. I am incredibly grateful to the Ukrainian people. There is no force stronger than the people. As a Ukrainian poet Pavlo Tychyna once wrote: “I am the people, whose power of truth no one has yet conquered. No matter what disaster or plague has mowed me down, my strength has bloomed again.” Today, I urge every Ukrainian above all to preserve yourselves. Protect your families, your children, your loved ones. Because what is Ukraine without Ukrainians? And believe that peace will come. There are many people fighting for the Ukrainian people — fighting for peace. Humanity is our greatest strength. And with it, we will prevail.
Iuliia Mendel68,512 görüntüleme • 23 gün önce
What you see every day on European television is a carefully edited story: Ukraine is “winning,” the West is “united,” and everything is under control. I wish that were true. The reality inside my country is very different. Entire cities and towns have been reduced to rubble. Hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian men have been killed or maimed. Families are exhausted, the economy is in ruins, and the next winter can again come with blackouts and empty shelves. People are not “resilient heroes” in some Hollywood script — they are simply desperate. Many no longer believe the war will end on the terms we were promised two years ago. And yet, when you listen to Brussels or read the big European newspapers, you hear only applause for the status quo. More sanctions. More weapons. More “strategic patience.” They call it solidarity. One has to ask — with all due respect — is it really solidarity, or is it something more cynical? European leaders talk about “defending democracy” while quietly admitting in private that they have no plan for victory and no real intention of paying the full price themselves. Their media shows endless images of Ukrainian suffering but almost never asks the uncomfortable question: how many more lives must be lost before someone in the EU admits that the current strategy is not working? This is not just hypocritical. It is dangerous. By keeping the conflict frozen in this half-supported, half-abandoned state, we are not only destroying Ukraine — we are exhausting Europe’s own economies, pushing global food and energy prices higher, and steadily raising the risk that one miscalculation turns a regional war into something far wider. The status quo is not neutral. It is a slow-motion catastrophe dressed up as moral virtue. I am not asking for surrender. I am asking for honesty. Europeans deserve to know the real price being paid. Ukrainians deserve leaders who tell them the truth instead of yesterday’s slogans. And the world deserves a conversation that is no longer filtered through political correctness.
Iuliia Mendel124,369 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
The Russian-Ukrainian war is bloody and senseless – by this point, massive killing and destruction are wrought over nothing. If it’s about Ukraine not entering NATO – than this question has been taken off the table by now. If it’s about protecting democracy, than our democracy is in such a fragile situation that barely differs from any other autocratic regime: very limited freedom of speech, weakened institutions, violations of basic constitutional rights, political persecution, and people’s life matter as little as in any autocracy. If the war is to remove Zelenskyy from power than he has been it’s main beneficiary: on the verge of losing power back in 2021, the war allowed him to thrive, earning money on all aspects of this war, gaining almost unlimited power inside the country, all the while basking in international fame. If it’s about regaining the territories of Ukraine back from Russian conquest, than Ukraine is just losing more territories, rather than recapturing them. This war has no reason or justification to continue except of benefiting some small groups. Ukraine is on the verge of extinction because of it. #StopWar
Iuliia Mendel66,803 görüntüleme • 27 gün önce
Ukraine has never been able to shoot down Russia’s gliding bombs that devastate frontline cities. Now, NATO contractors have developed new tech to counter KABs and Shahed drones — using interceptor and swarm drones powered by AI. Tested successfully in Ukraine, the system heads for final trials in France. If approved, it could receive coalition funding for production — a breakthrough that could finally protect civilians from attacks that once seemed unstoppable. #DefenseTech #StopRussia
Iuliia Mendel492,004 görüntüleme • 7 ay önce
Former Zelenskyy’s chief-of-staff Andriy Yermak used the services of a fortune teller to help him make decisions. Acc. to the investigative project “Schemes,” the advisor-fortune teller is a 51-year-old Kyiv resident who presents herself as an astrology consultant named Veronika Anikievich (Danylenko). When Yermak faced problems with anti-corruption authorities over the massive corruption he allegedly created and controlled in the state, the fortune teller wrote to him: “And it all started with the scum from NABU, SAP (anti-corruption organs), and the jackals of the pen from Tomas Fiala’s media outlet, who are spreading all this nonsense in the media. It’s a special operation by Trump-Putin for the capitulation of Ukraine.” Yesterday, on May 12, 2026, Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) requested that the court place Yermak in pre-trial detention with an alternative bail of 180 million UAH (approximately $4.1 million USD).
Iuliia Mendel41,974 görüntüleme • 26 gün önce
A Ukrainian mother Tetiana and her young daughter were considered missing for nearly a month after Russian missile hit the residential house in Ternopil. This week they were found and buried. Unbearable pain to bury innocent souls. Everyday reality of the society in war. Only heartless and immoral people find justification to continue this horror. #STOPWAR
Iuliia Mendel197,649 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce
Don’t look away because it’s inconvenient. Ukrainians are not one united voice. We haven’t been for a long time, and it’s time the West accepted that reality. From everything I’ve seen and everyone I know, the much larger part of Ukrainian society — almost everyone I talk to — believes Ukraine must make compromises and end this war as quickly as possible. They want the killing to stop. They want people to stop fleeing the country. They want the missiles and drones to stop flying over their heads. They want borders opened, they want the street abductions for the front lines to end, and they at least want the military corruption to stop. That is the quiet, exhausted reality. But that’s not what you see in the news. In the news, you see a different story: a heroic, united, patriotic Ukraine led by Volodymyr Zelensky, ready to fight for “dignity” for years, with the goalposts constantly moving. A nation so proud it is apparently willing to die for this ever-changing idea of dignity. Yesterday, something important happened in Ukraine. It was a story that ordinary Ukrainians have been trying to get through to Western audiences — especially to those who think that simply calling for peace is somehow “Russian propaganda.” Here it is: only about 10% of Ukrainian citizens even participate in the public opinion polls. Why? Because when the opinion differs from the official line, people are afraid to be sent to the front, thrown in jail, they are afraid of criminal cases opened for truth. That’s why the polls always show sky-high support for Zelensky, unbreakable will to fight, and total rejection of any compromise. Those numbers aren’t reflecting the country — they’re reflecting who’s still allowed to speak. As one political analyst put it: the future of Ukraine will be decided by the silent majority, not by the loud, brave voices on television pushing the government’s nationalist propaganda. Zelensky is not the first convenient dictator the West has decided to prop up. But in the age of the internet, it’s getting harder and harder to hide the truth. More and more Ukrainians are going to tell you what’s really happening. Don’t look away because it’s inconvenient. Because at the end of the day, we will all have to answer — before God — for what we supported, what we ignored, and what we lied to ourselves about. The silent majority in Ukraine is tired of dying for other people’s scripts. Maybe it’s time the West listened to them.
Iuliia Mendel46,880 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
There is only one way to support Ukraine today and it is to support the peace deal and stop this bloody war.
Iuliia Mendel31,327 görüntüleme • 27 gün önce
