A few days before her visit, the sanctions were imposed on her by V. Zelensky himself.
Yulia Mendel worked as V. Zelensky’s press secretary from his election in 2019 until 2021, a few months before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At 40 years old, J. Mendel became a fierce critic of her former boss. In an interview earlier this year with right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson, she called the president “one of the biggest obstacles to peace.” She also accused V. Zelensky of allegedly using drugs.
